


Ghostly Whispers

by FlorentineDreams



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-02-28 18:46:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 69,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2743250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlorentineDreams/pseuds/FlorentineDreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sophie Burke is going to Beacon Mental Hospital to receive treatment for a rather unique problem, she can speak with the dead. Soon after arrival, Sophie encounters the dark figure Ruvik and is drawn into his chaotic world. As Sophie struggles to survive, Ruvik begins to wonder if perhaps Sophie would make a better ally than foe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_‘Dear Miss Sophie Burke, As you requested my associate, Dr. Mayer, has informed me about your rather unique situation and I believe that I can be of assistance in remedying your mental state. At the moment I am currently busy with a rather special project but in a month’s time I should be able to accommodate you. I strongly urge for you to stay at Beacon Hospital in the section for ‘voluntary commitments’ rather than seek outside housing as this will make it easier for me to treat you. Please contact my secretary, Mrs. Rowley, to make the appropriate arrangements. I am eager to meet with you Miss Burke and I am certain that together we can conquer your delusions._

_Sincerely,_

_Dr. Marcelo Jimenez’_

Sophie put the letter down and let out an uneasy sigh, running a hand through her long, brown hair in frustration. She must have read those words a hundred times in the past month and as much as she wished they’d give her comfort or hope, they never did. But this had to work. If Jimenez couldn’t help her then she had nowhere else to turn. For two years she has been traveling the country visiting countless psychiatrists, neurologists, and religious officials and so far none of them has been able to relieve her of her problem. Sophie, for whatever reason, could not only see but also converse with the dead. The professionals would all be skeptical of her abilities at first but that never lasted for long. How could they be when Sophie could accurately and with in-depth detail describe events and secrets from their past? Or, if a dead relative or friend failed to appear, how could she know the numbers or sentences that the doctors and priests wrote out of her line of sight to test her unless there was someone standing over their shoulder, giving her the answers? No, the skepticism never lasted long. Afterwards would come the fear and also the endless questions about the afterworld but never a solution to make it stop, never that.

That’s why she was so hopeful about Dr. Jimenez. When Dr. Mayer had told her about Dr. Jimenez and his radical work she had been uncertain. She knew that Dr. Mayer was terrified of her ability and wanted to get rid of her so she thought he was just trying to pawn her off onto some sort of quack but, after a little research, it seemed Dr. Mayer was onto something with Dr. Jimenez. She’d read all of his papers about the mind and they were absolutely brilliant. The discoveries he has made about human consciousness are revolutionary and his theories, while ambitious, seem to be plausible. The theory that Sophie was most interested in was Dr. Jimenez’s ‘Individual Event Reconstruction’. It’s the idea that one can delve into someone’s mind and successfully change or even eliminate a specific memory in order to alter the patient’s psyche. And boy did Sophie have a memory she needed to forget.

She leaned back in her car seat and looked up at the gray goliath that was Beacon Mental Hospital. Would this be the start to a new life free from the dead or the end to her search for recovery? She wasn’t certain she was ready for the answer.  She had never been so nervous in her life. Her stomach was in knots, her hands sweaty, and her heart racing. But she had to brave because one way or another this was going to be the end of something.

“Why are you so eager to be rid of me, Sophie” A deep Southern voice inquired from the passenger seat. Sophie turned to her dear companion and guardian, James. He had been a Confederate soldier during the Civil War and had died from a bayonet thrust through his heart. James had started following her around about six months after she started seeing ghosts. She had been visiting a friend in Gettysburg, PA when she had seen him amongst a copse of trees. He was a handsome man with thick black hair and the darkest eyes Sophie had ever seen. At first he had only stared at her, the ghosts always stared at her. James told her it’s because she gives off a different light then most people which draws them to her. Most will just stare at her but some will actually follow her around in some sort of grotesque game of follow the leader. That’s when they would start talking to her. They always wanted her help. Some wanted their tale told, others had unresolved business they wanted her to take care of, and then there were the bitter and disturbed ones who would whisper horrible things to her in order to draw her into their misery. James was different. He never asked anything of her, he just wanted to help her. He was her guardian angel and he was the only person she’d miss if Jimenez was able to cure her.

Sophie turned to him with pity in her eyes. “I don’t want to stop seeing you, James, you know that. I just can’t take it. At first I thought I could manage, that I could help the dead move on to the next realm and still lead a normal life but it’s impossible. There are just too many of them, and more and more people die every day. It never ends. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and take a shower without ten strangers watching me the entire time, constantly shouting at me and beseeching me to the point where I can’t even have a cohesive thought.” She reached out her hand to place it on his arm in comfort but immediately withdrew it, knowing her hand would just go through him. “I want to be normal again, James.” She finished in a defeated voice. He turned to her, his deep black eyes meeting her own green ones with such sadness that it made her chest ache.

“I was lost for 150 years until I saw you, Sophie. I don’t want to be lost again.” She bowed her head, feeling the weariness of the past two years settling deep in her bones.

“Maybe I’ll still be able to see you James, we have grown close over the past two years. Maybe that connection will withstand the treatment or maybe this won’t work at all and we can continue on like we did before. But I have to try, James, I am terrified that I will slowly slip into madness from dealing with the dead all of the time. I probably would have gone crazy by now if it weren’t for you. You have kept me grounded these past few years but your help may not always be enough. Please, please understand.” She begged with tears in her eyes. He bowed his head and gave a slow nod.

“Fine, I will support you in this endeavor, even though it grieves me.” Sophie gave him a grateful smile. Even when something pained him, he still supported her explicitly. What would she do without him? He had been good to her these past few years, escorting her to various appointments ensuring that everyone believed her by reading their concealed papers to her and occasionally throwing things off of walls and desks. He also guarded her from other ghosts as best he could, chasing off the worst offenders but they always managed to come back. He told her constantly that she had saved him. That before she had come along he just wandered the battlefields listening to the conversations of families and friends but, much to his chagrin, never being able to join in. He could certainly speak with other ghosts but the other dead tend to be very conceited and can’t see past anything but their own problems. She had become his everything and he hers.

With that last thought she reached into the back seat to get her purse, a newfound bravery overtaking her. She climbed out of the car and locked the door and started to walk toward the imposing gray building when she realized that James was not following her. She went back to the car and opened the door to see James still sitting in the passenger seat.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked nervously. She really wanted James by her side for support.

“I wish to remain here for now,” he said in a small voice, “I will accompany you when you return for your luggage, I promise.” Sophie gave a small nod and closed the door. She could give him some time to himself, he deserved at least that much from her.

As she made her way to the side door of the building her nervousness only increased. She’s gone into hospitals plenty of times before for treatment but she’s never been this uneasy. Perhaps it was because she knew this was her last chance for normalcy? Maybe, but if felt more than that. Something felt off about the hospital. As she approached the gray door Sophie noticed something amiss, it was open. Sure, this was a side entrance into the administrative section of the hospital but surely there were laws about outside doors being closed at all times at mental institutions? She bit her lip and turned slightly to her car, considering returning to it. But seeing James there in his sadness quickly changed her mind. If she went back now she wouldn’t have the courage to come back. So she slowly opened the heavy metal door, uneasiness filling her heart. The interior looked normal enough but no one seemed to be around.

“Hello, is anybody there?” She shouted down the empty corridor. Sophie cautiously entered the building while every fiber in her body told her to turn around and run away. But she was just being silly. This was only a hospital. Her footsteps echoed ominously through the empty hallway as she approached the first door in the corridor. Mrs. Jane Rowley it read, and relief instantly washed through her. Mrs. Rowley was who Sophie had to meet with. She knocked on the door and waited for a response but none came. Sophie started to become nervous once more and tentatively knocked on the door again. That’s when she heard it. A woman crying. She pressed her ear to the door to confirm what she was hearing and sure enough someone was sobbing on the other side. This wasn’t normal crying either, these were heart wrenching sobs that cut Sophie to her core. Not wanting to leave someone in such pain she twisted the handle and entered the room. At first Sophie didn’t see anyone but the crying had become decidedly louder. That’s when she noticed the crouched figure behind the desk. She made her way to the stooped woman, her heart beating wildly.

“Hello, Mrs. Rowley? Are you ok? My name is Sophie, I believe you were expecting me. Is there anything I can do to help you?” As she rounded the desk her blood went cold. A woman lay prostrate on the ground in a pool of blood, a gaping hole in her throat. The woman crouched over the body looked up at Sophie as she approached, revealing an identical bloody hole in her neck. Her nametag read ‘Rowley’. Sophie had come upon Mrs. Rowley grieving over her own body.

“Wh-Who did this?” Sophie stammered, taking a step back from the slowly spreading gore at her feet. Mrs. Rowley’s sad eyes seemed to look right through Sophie in her grief. Sophie had never been in a situation like this before and it left her numb. A small voice in the back of her head told her to call the police but she was too transfixed by the scene before her. That’s when Mrs. Rowley’s eyes filled with horror as she looked over Sophie’s left shoulder. Mrs. Rowley could no longer speak but Sophie recognized the word that she mouthed in urgency ‘Duck!’ and so she did.

As Sophie’s knees hit the ground she heard a whoosh of air above her and a loud ‘thunk’ as something slammed against the wall. She looked back behind her to see a man standing there, his left hand holding a syringe that was embedded in the wall. A syringe that had been meant for her head. He was tall and horribly scarred. He wore tattered white pants and coat and beneath a dirty hood Sophie could see a section of his brain exposed beneath a clear surface. What transfixed her though were his eyes. They were the lightest gray she had ever seen, so light that they seemed to melt into the whites of his eyes. But it was the anger within those eyes that held her attention. It was the hate there that scared her.

“How did you know I was behind you?” He inquired in a deep, gravelly voice, inclining his head slightly in curiosity. For a moment Sophie sat there motionless, stunned by what had just occurred. Where had he come from anyway? He took a step towards her, his gray eyes not leaving her green ones. “I asked you a question.” He said, his voice noticeable more angry. Sophie shook her head slightly to shake herself out of her stupor.

She lifted her hand slowly to point towards Mrs. Rowley’s body, “She warned me.” Sophie answered in a whisper. His brows furrowed slightly. Whether it was in confusion or annoyance, she couldn’t tell.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Sophie. Sophie Burke.” His eyes seemed to widen in what Sophie thought was recognition.

“Well, isn’t this an interesting turn of events.” He said with a smirk. To her astonishment, he disappeared for a second but reappeared, kneeling in front of her. She jumped in surprise but her back hit the desk, trapping her before this strange man. He leaned in close, the smirk still upon his lips, “I thought I had lost the opportunity to examine you, Miss Burke. This appears to be my lucky day,” he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, “You are mine now, to do with as I please.” Her eyes widened at his words but she didn’t have time to dwell on them as she felt a sudden pain in the back of her head, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Sophie awoke with a dull ache throbbing in the back of her head. She reached up a hand to tentatively touch her ailing skull and was relieved to feel a small bump but no blood. She groggily looked around at her surroundings and discovered she was still in Mrs. Rowley’s office. She stretched her neck to look around the desk to check on Mrs. Rowley’s ghost but nothing was there. No body and no ghost. Not even so much a drop of blood remained where once a pool had been. She furrowed her brows in confusion. Could she have imagined the whole thing? Was she, as she feared, slipping into madness? She pushed the disturbing thought to the back of her mind, she didn’t have time to evaluate her psyche at the moment. On the plus side, it appeared the hooded man was gone.  
She stood on shaky legs, grabbing the desk for support as the room swayed before her eyes. She leaned against the desk to gather her bearings, closing her eyes in contemplation. There was something missing. What was it? She opened her eyes in realization. There was no noise! For the past two years she has been surrounded by a cacophony of noise from the dead: tearful confessions, ugly whispers, cries of help. Now there was only silence. Not even so much as a ticking clock to fill the deafening void of nothing. Where were the footsteps of the workers? Where was the humming of car engines as they passed the building? Something was wrong.  
Not being able to take the quiet anymore, she made her way to the door and slowly opened it, looking into the hallway. The coast was clear. She stepped out into the corridor, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She felt like she was being watched but no one was there. At least no one that she could see. She made a move for the exit but the loud creaking of a door stilled her feet. Her heart raced erratically as she slowly turned around to see the cause of the noise. A door was now indeed open at the opposite side of the corridor but no one had stepped through it.  
“H-Hello?” She called out, her voice breaking from fear. She jumped at the sound of a dull thumping noise that drifted through the doorway. She should leave. She really should, but something drew her to that repetitive “thump, thump, thump.” What if someone was in trouble? An image of Mrs. Rowley’s still form shot through her mind and she knew that she couldn’t just leave, she would never be able to forgive herself. She pulled out her phone, thinking to get the police involved if need be but, oddly enough, she had no bars in the middle of a city. She quickly ducked back into Mrs. Rowley’s office and picked up the receiver to the landline but she was met with only silence. This was insane, had the whole world simply disappeared? She hung up the phone in defeat, it looked like she was on her own. Sophie scanned the room for anything useful. A heavy looking paperweight of a gargoyle caught Sophie’s eye. She picked up the small but dense object and tested the weight in her hand. It was small but it would provide some semblance of protection. Now semi armed, Sophie made her way back out into the hallway and toward the noise. She wished that James was with her. He could take the lead and tell her what lay ahead, but he was still in the car. She could do this without him. No, she had to do this without him. If she truly was to be cured she had to learn to live again without James’s constant guidance.  
As she approached the open doorway the “thump, thump, thump” increased in not only sound but also in speed. The sudden change in the noise made her feel uneasy. She should turn back but she was only a step away from the open doorway. Taking a deep breath, Sophie worked up the courage to take the last step. Coming in full view of the room, her breath caught in her throat. On the opposite side of the office there was a doctor constantly hitting his head against the wall. A large smear of blood stained the wall where his cranium met the brick. She felt her stomach drop at the sight. This man was clearly insane. Could he be an escaped patient dressed in a doctor’s clothing? She didn’t want to find out. It had been foolish of her to come down here by herself. She could be on the road by now, safe and sound, if she had only left like she originally planned. Taking a cautious step back, Sophie made her way to the exit. She had had enough of this craziness. She was leaving. She took a few more steps when her legs froze. The sound had suddenly stopped and was now replaced by a new noise, footsteps and heavy pants of breath that sounded like angry growls. Sophie didn’t look back, she just ran for it.  
She was about fifteen feet away from the exit when she was tackled from behind, knocking the breath out of her. She collapsed heavily onto the linoleum floor, her ribs taking the brunt of the impact. Fear filled her mind with such intensity that the world momentarily turned black. Without thinking, Sophie swung her arm around with all her might. Hoping to God it made contact with the man clawing his way up her body. To her surprise, a spray of blood and the sickening crunch of breaking bone filled the air. The doctor went limp above her. She laid there stunned for a second before shoving the slumped figure off of her. Her breath came out harsh and ragged as she stared stupidly at the doctor and his crushed skull and then down at her hand. She still had the paperweight! That little gargoyle just saved her life.  
She examined the still form of the doctor. His nametag revealed his name to be ‘Harley’. He was a middle-aged man of mid height with a receding hairline that was specked with white and silver hairs. All together he wasn’t a frightful figure. It was the large, throbbing veins running through his face and yellowed, bloody eyes that made him fearsome. She had never killed someone before. She didn’t know how to feel about it, she just felt numb. Would she go to jail? Did he have family? Did he really attack her or was it all in her head? All of these questions left her feeling nauseous. She pushed the disturbing thoughts from her mind and pulled herself to her feet, a shooting pain going through her ribs. She let out a hiss of pain and grabbed her aching ribs, thankful that she still had her life at least. She continued her journey to the exit. She had to get to a medical hospital and contact the police. Either Sophie had completely gone bonkers or something was terribly wrong at Beacon Mental Hospital.  
She only made it a few feet before she heard a sickening ripping noise. Sophie turned around to see, to her horror, that Mr. Harley’s chest had burst open, gushing blood onto the pristine white floor. Even more terrifying were the multiple arms that stretched out of his body, their fingers tipped with long, sharp nails. Sophie bolted for it. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be. What she just saw broke the laws of science and logic. Could this be hell? Had that cloaked figure actually killed her?  
Sophie burst through the exit as an agonized shriek came from behind her. She raced to her car but she had two horrible realizations. The first was that James was no longer there. Where could he possibly be?! The second was that she must have dropped her purse after Dr. Harley had tackled her, meaning she didn’t have her keys. She ran past her car hoping beyond hope that whatever had come through Dr. Harley’s body was not following her. She rounded the corner of the hospital and was dumbstruck by what she saw. There was a small group of people entering into an ambulance. She had never been so relieved in all of her life. She ran toward them, shouting at them to get their attention. They all turned to her in unison.  
“Please! You have to help me!” Sophie yelled in desperation. She reached them, panting heavily from her mad dash. “We have to get out of here, NOW! Somethi-“ she paused momentarily, she couldn’t tell them what she just experienced, they would think she’s crazy. “Someone is chasing me, and they are extremely dangerous.” There was a woman amongst them, a detective by the looks of her badge, and she stepped forward and nodded her head toward the city beyond.  
“No offense, but we have bigger problems right now.” Sophie knit her brows in confusion at the woman’s brusque words but a deafening crash of metal and concrete interrupted her thoughts. Whirling around Sophie saw a building tumbling down in the distance, releasing a huge cloud of dust into the air. To her horror, it looked like it wasn’t the only building. The entire city was in upheaval!  
“Officer Connelly, take the wheel. We’re getting out of here.” The detective said, jumping into the back of the ambulance helping a doctor and a mental patient up behind her. Sophie wasted no time following them, she wasn’t about to get stuck out here alone. She closed the door behind them but to her surprise they went in reverse instead of forward.  
“What are you doing, officer?!” The detective shouted at the driver.  
“Detective Castellanos and Oda are still inside. We have to at least attempt to save them.” He responded, gritting his in teeth in concentration as he dodged the parked police cars in front of the building. Just as they reached the front entrance a man came running out of the door, severely limping as he did so. A loud explosion sounded right behind the ambulance. Sophie went to the back window and looked down, and down some more. Her heart jumped into her throat. The parking lot had collapsed into the ground!  
“The ground is disappearing!” She shouted. A sudden shift of the ground behind the rear tires filled her with panic, “I repeat, the ground is disappearing,” she shrieked this time.  
“Get in!” The officer yelled to the hobbling detective, thankfully moving the vehicle forward. The male detective jumped into the front seat and they were able to pull off just in time as the rest of the parking lot crumbled away.  
Sophie collapsed onto a nearby seat, never feeling so relieved in her life. She was still alive…for now. She looked out the window, the city was in complete chaos. It wasn’t just buildings falling, some were actually sliding. How was that possible? There were also no people in the streets. Did everyone just happen to be at home during, what she assumed to be, the apocalypse? What was even more disturbing was that there were no ghosts in the streets either. There would always be ghosts. Even after humans were long gone, the ghosts would remain. Of that she was certain. Come to think of it, the only ghosts she had seen that afternoon were James and Mrs. Rowley. Was that what made her uneasy before when she entered the hospital, the lack of ghosts? The thought of James filled her with sadness. He had disappeared. She didn’t think he abandoned her. Not him. Never James.  
“Fine, fine…fine…” Sophie lifted her head at the repetitive word in curiosity. It was a young man saying it. He was clearly a mental patient judging by his white clothes. At first she thought he was an albino except albinos don’t have black eyes. She felt bad for him. He was clearly in great distress and judging by his browned teeth, not very well nourished. She turned her attention to the duo who were comforting him. The female detective was young and beautiful with dazzling purple eyes but there was something cold and aloof within their depths. The doctor was middle aged and reminded her a lot of Dr. Harley except this doctor had a beard and was a bit darker in complexion then the doctor she had killed. That thought made her nauseous. She still couldn’t believe she had just killed a man. But she had to kill him. She didn’t have a choice, he attacked her. Somehow that didn’t comfort her. The doctor shifted as the mental patient became a bit more erratic and Sophie caught sight of his nametag, ‘Jimenez’.  
“Jimenez!” She exclaimed, not realizing she had spoken until the doctor turned toward her.  
“Excuse me, miss? Do I know you?” She nodded her head in affirmation.  
“Yes, my name is Sophie, Sophie Burke.” His face paled. From the corner of her eye Sophie saw him move a metal briefcase beneath the seat next to him. ‘What are you hiding in there, doctor?’ She thought to herself. Whatever it was, she was determined to find out.  
“I was not expecting you for another three days, Miss. Burke.” He said, tension lacing his voice.  
“Our first meeting was supposed to be in three days but Mrs. Rowley thought it’d be prudent if I came a few days early to get settled.”  
“Of course! Jane is always thinking of such things. She is such a thoughtful assistant.”  
“She’s dead,” Sophie blurted out, wishing she could take back the uncouth words immediately. “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have announced it like that.” She bowed her head in shame.  
He shook his head, beads of sweat forming on his brow, “It’s quite alright. I already assumed she was dead. I don’t know if you saw but there was quite the massacre at the main entrance.” She hadn’t seen, she had entered through a side entrance. A massacre would explain the lack of ghosts. Ghosts could sense major events of death. They were drawn to catastrophe, it was like some macabre movie to them.  
“I hate to interrupt your chat but don’t you think you can concentrate on your patient doctor.” The female detective’s words made Dr. Jimenez blush slightly. He turned away from Sophie and turned his attention to the disturbed, young man.  
“Leslie, you are safe. Please, calm down.” Leslie. So that was the patient’s name. She returned her attention to the back window but she was startled to see the hooded man in the reflection. He stood over Dr. Jimenez, looking at Leslie with a cold intensity. How did he get here? She whipped her head back to the cab but he was no longer there. She caught the eye of the detective in the front seat, he looked as confused as she did. Had he seen the man as well?  
“Falling! Falling! Falling!” Leslie shouted. What was he talking about? What was falling? All of a sudden the tunnel they were driving through opened into daylight and the road disappeared beneath them. She had her answer.


	3. Chapter 3

Sophie awoke with a cool breeze drifting over her body, damp grass caressing her face. Once again she awakened to find herself in a strange place. She lifted herself to a sitting position, observing her surroundings. The ambulance was crashed nearby, the front half in flames, but she didn’t see anyone else in the area. It was dark out but the flickering light of the flames allowed her to make out a small clearing. How long had she been out for? It must have been awhile for it to be nighttime. She rose to her feet and was surprised to find that she wasn’t in any pain. She should be horribly mangled after being thrown out from the ambulance. The bump on her head and her bruised ribs seemed to have miraculously healed as well. Not that she was complaining. She needed a bit of luck after the day she just had. 

She made her way to the burning ambulance and looked inside. Just as she thought, no one was there. Something shiny in the back corner caught her attention. It was Jimenez’s suitcase! She scurried into the ambulance and grabbed it. Maybe now she could get some answers! She tried to pry it open with her fingers but it remained close. She squinted at the metal siding in the dim light and discovered there was a number lock on the case. It looked like she was going to have to find something to force it open.

Sophie did a quick sweep of the cabinets, trying to find anything useful before the flames engulfed the entire vehicle. The ambulance provided a magnificent hull of items: a first aid kit, various medical supplies, some water, a flashlight, and a book bag that must have belonged to an EMT. Satisfied with her findings she jumped out of the flaming wreckage, briefcase in hand, and into the darkness of the night. She turned on the flashlight and scanned the clearing. Which way should she go? A trail toward the side of the clearing caught her attention and she shrugged, deciding to follow it. It was as good a start as any. 

She walked for a few minutes letting the past few hours play through her mind. She was trying to make sense of all she had experienced but she was drawing a blank. She kept going back to the theory that she was crazy. But wasn’t there a saying that the insane couldn’t know they were crazy? Or was that a myth? She didn’t know what to think anymore. She just needed to concentrate on getting to some sort of civilization. Unless what had happened in Krimson City had happened everywhere. But she didn’t want to think of that possibility. 

Up ahead a light caught her eye. She smiled at the soft beacon and raced toward it. As she drew closer she couldn’t help but feel disappointed as she realized that it was simple shack. She slowed her steps and then stopped completely when she saw what lay motionless in front of the small building, a man. She approached it cautiously, remembering the unfortunate outcomes of the last two bodies she came across. When she was about ten feet away she realized she recognized the unfortunate corpse. It was the police officer who had been driving the ambulance! Upon closer inspection she noticed the bulging veins in his face and neck. Just like the ones Dr. Harley had. Sophie hoped that didn’t mean that something was about to pop out of his body too. She squinted as she noticed something staining his mouth area. She inched her way toward him, scared that he would pop up at any moment and grab her. She leaned in and flashed the light upon his face. Her stomach fell, his mouth was covered with blood. She looked toward the entrance of the shack and noticed a body in there as well, bite marks covering its neck area. A cold realization went through her. Dr. Harley would’ve eaten her if she hadn’t killed him. She could be in someone’s stomach right now. She shivered at the thought.

Sophie turned away from the grotesque scene, deciding not to search the small building for supplies. She didn’t want to see the other man’s injuries up close. She couldn’t handle that at the moment. She wished James was with her. His calming presence left a gaping hole in her life. He may not be able to do much to protect her from any physical threats but he could do wonders for her state of mind. She still remembered the first day he approached her. It was her last day in Gettysburg and she was packing to head off to New York City to meet with a demonologist. She hadn’t told her friend where she was going, she was too embarrassed to tell her. As she zipped up her bag she turned around to see James standing there. She had seen him following her around the past week but she hadn’t given him much thought. There were lots of ghosts in Gettysburg, he was one of many. Just another nuisance to bother her. So when he appeared she let out a heavy sigh of annoyance and sat on the bed.

“So, how can I help you my good sir,” she asked sarcastically, “Is there a long lost girl I need to find and exclaim your undying love to? Because I can tell you right now, she’s dead. Everyone you knew is dead. Matter of fact, all those people you knew probably had kids and all of those kids are dead as well. It’s been over a hundred years, it is time to move on!” She would regret her words later on but in the heat of the moment she didn’t care, she had snapped. The dead had been unbearable during her time in Gettysburg. Half of them wanted her to talk to their loved ones and the other half wanted to describe their agonizing deaths on the battlefield. It was difficult to block them out and attempt some semblance of normalcy in front of her friend. It was emotionally draining. So when yet another Civil War ghost had entered her hotel room, she just couldn’t take it anymore. There were so many of them and they were all so demanding. Matter of fact, there had been seven other ghosts in the room before James came in. Four of them were just standing there, starring. One of them stood in the middle of the room and repeated the same sentence over and over again, another spoke to himself in a rushed whisper, and a third sat in a chair near the door talking about how he took six days to die in a field hospital. James didn’t respond to her outburst. That didn’t surprise her. Many of them completely disregarded what she said and did. What was surprising was the pity she saw in his eyes.

“You look damned tired, miss. I think it’s high time you rested,” he said in his soft, southern voice. She was shocked. A ghost had never shown any interest in her wellbeing. It touched her in a way that she still couldn’t quite describe. Relief? Gratitude? She wasn’t sure, but the feeling was so pronounced that she started to cry. She couldn’t help it, it had been a particularly rough week of pretending everything was ok, when it wasn’t. She laid down on the bed and had a long pity party full of sobbing and blubbering before falling into her first restful sleep in six months. James had ushered the other ghosts out of the room and guarded her as she wept and then slept. He was with her every day since then, until now. BANG! BANG!

The sudden noise broke her reminiscing. Were those gunshots? She stopped walking and listened to the night air. BANG! BANG! BANG! There it was again! Gunshots. She ran toward the noise, it had to be one of the detectives. Or, so she hoped. She ran past a cabin with dead bodies strewn out on the front yard. One of them seemed to have been stabbed in the back of the skull but the other had definitely been shot in the face. She moved further along the path and came upon a small village and more bodies. She ran through an open gate and along a path, the gunshots growing louder. She had to be getting close now! She rounded a corner and came to a bridge only to see a swarm of zombies chasing after the male detective. He tried opening the gate on the opposite side of the bridge but to no avail. Left with no other choice, he kicked one of the undead in the chest and jumped over the edge, into the murky waters below. Should she follow him? Before she could give it another thought she felt an icy chill work its way up her spine. Someone was standing behind her. She inclined her head slightly and from the corner of her eye she spotted a tattered white coat and a burned, bare chest. It appeared the man from Mrs. Rowley’s office was back. She tried to step away from him but his hands clasped around her shoulders like iron.

“Do you hear anything?” He rasped into her ear.

”What are you talking about?” She inquired, fear taking hold as the zombies started to lose interest in where the detective had disappeared into the water. They were going to turn around any second and come after her. She had to get away. She tried pulling her shoulders free, but his grasp didn’t loosen.

“I am talking about them. What do you hear from them?” His hot breath against her neck sent a shiver down her spine. 

“I don’t know…growls, labored breathing. It’s just a bunch of incoherent noises.” Realization suddenly dawned on her. Did he think that she would be able to understand the zombies like she did with ghosts? She guessed it was a sound theory but she always assumed ghosts were souls of the dead, and zombies, presumably, didn’t have souls. 

“Are you certain? Listen closely.” The zombies had spotted them and were now moving in their direction.

“Please, let me go,” she begged, wringing her entire body in another attempt to break free but it was of no use. “I already told you it’s only noise!” They were so close now. A female zombie closest to them was yielding a cleaver. She raised it up slowly, looking at Sophie with her yellowed, dead eyes. Sophie’s heart stopped in her chest as the zombie stood there for a moment, cleaver raised menacingly in the air. Then, the woman let out a harsh growling scream and charged. The man let out a small scoff of a laugh as Sophie turned her head away from the approaching figure, squeezing her eyes shut. She couldn’t do it, though. She couldn’t watch that blade coming down to end her life. She heard the footsteps getting closer and closer. She could smell the decaying flesh of the woman now. It wouldn’t be long. Then, it all stopped. Sophie opened her eyes to find herself in a small wooded room. Had he done that weird transporting thing again? He finally let go of her shoulders and she turned around to face him. Fear of him made her want to run away as far as possible but her anger towards him demanded she punch him in the face. Instead, she took the middle road and stood their seething. He had the gall to smirk at her.

“Who are you?!” She demanded, her heart still pounding madly from her close encounter with the zombie woman. 

“I can’t say that I am surprised. The chances of you being able to comprehend those creatures was slim.” He said in a calm voice, ignoring her question. She was shocked. 

“If you knew I wouldn’t be able to understand them, then why put me through that?”

“A good researcher tests every theory. I didn’t know for certain that you wouldn’t be able to hear coherent thoughts from them, but now I do. Of course, further testing will be needed.” Sophie paled, taking a step away from him. This man wasn’t only crazy, he was cruel as well.

“What kind of testing?” She asked in a strained voice. Not entirely sure she was ready for the answer.

“Those creatures back there have all been absorbed into my consciousness and therefore have completely lost their own individuality. They are now nothing more than feral beasts. Fortunately, there are beings here who are still independent of me. Unfortunately, for you,” he took a few steps toward her, a menacing glint in his eyes, “those entities are much more dangerous than what you just encountered.” Sophie swallowed hard at his declaration. What could be more dangerous than a swarm of zombies? “But first, I would like to know what you are doing with that.” He asked in his husky voice, his eyes darting down to Jimenez’s briefcase in her grasp. Her hand tightened around the briefcase’s handle. She couldn’t lost it. It was the only clue she had to this madness.

“What does it matter to you?” She asked in a voice far braver than what she felt. He took another step closer to her, closing the distance between them. To her surprise, he lifted one of his burned hands to her head and ran his fingers through her long tresses. He watched the hair fall from his fingers, a strange look overtaking his gray eyes. It made her feel uneasy to have this strange man touching her in such an intimate manner. When the last strand fell he lifted his eyes to hers. Gray meeting green once more.

“I am curious to know what compelled you to steal it.” Her eyes widened, how did he know that she took it without Jimenez’s permission? She thought to defy him and not answer but decided against it. She didn’t want him to do something sadistic, like drop her back with the group of zombies. She let out a sigh of defeat

“I saw Dr. Jimenez trying to hide it when he found out who I was. I thought it might have some answers.” He smiled at her words.

“What a perceptive creature you are.” He leaned in, his nose mere inches from hers. Heat seemed to radiate off of him in waves. A stark contrast to the brisk temperature in the room. “But are you certain you can handle what’s in there?” She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his question.

“Why, do you know what’s in here?” 

“No, but I have a fairly good idea. I will say this, you were never meant to be his patient, you were meant to be our subject.” Sophie inhaled sharply from surprise. Our subject? So this man had worked with Dr. Jimenez? Most disturbing of all, what did he mean by subject? That certainly did not sound good. Before she could question him, he turned around and started to walk away. When he reached the door he stopped and looked back at her.

“Ruvik,” he said, the word seeming to cling to the air.

“What?”

“You asked me my name. It is Ruvik.” He turned back around to the door. “I would recommend you remain relevant to me, Miss Burke. You wouldn’t want me to lose interest in you or your ability. That would not work well in your favor.” He disappeared. Not through the door, but into the air itself. Just like the other times she had seen him. 

His words filled her with aggravation and turmoil. He had left her with more questions than answers and she was more uncertain about her safety than ever before. At least now she knew for sure that Jimenez was not to be trusted. She really needed to get into that briefcase. 

Deciding to see where Ruvik had taken her, she made her way to the door. She opened it slowly, meeting with more woodened walls and flooring. She must be in a cabin somewhere. Thankfully, there did not appear to be any zombies. She walked through the doorway and made her way to a balcony on her left side. She looked down into the courtyard to see a village full of zombies. This wasn’t good. How was she going to get past all of them? Heavy footsteps on the stairwell put Sophie on the alert. She had to hide quickly. There were some crates nearby so she ducked behind them. She held her breath as the figure approached.

“My God, there are so many of them!” A male voice exclaimed. Her heart skipped a beat. She was filled with anger and excitement as she recognized that voice. Dr. Jimenez had just joined her.


	4. Chapter 4

She was going to kill him. No, no that was a bit much. She still needed him for answers. Maybe a nice broken nose wasn’t out of the question. Sophie wasn’t a violent person in general but Dr. Jimenez set her blood a boil. It was his letter that put her in this predicament. She could look past that, being a rational person and all, if it wasn’t for the fact that he had lured her to Beacon Mental Hospital under false pretenses. If what Ruvik said was true, Dr. Jimenez has had ulterior motives towards her since the beginning. ‘Our subject.’ That’s what Ruvik had said. Now Sophie was going to find out exactly what that entailed.

She placed the briefcase on the ground gently. She didn’t want to approach Dr. Jimenez with it. He may try to take it away from her and it was the only clue she had to all of this craziness. She rose slowly from her hiding place behind the crate. The doctor’s back was turned away from her to view the zombies below.

“Doctor Jimenez,” she whispered to him. He gave a violent start and turned around, his face white from fear.

“O-oh, M-Miss Burke…It’s nice to see a friendly face.” He stammered out. She wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t jump to such conclusions but she kept her mouth shut. 

“Doctor, I believe that we need to talk,” she said in her best diplomatic voice possible, but she couldn’t fully disguise the anger the welled up inside her. “I have some questi…”

“H-have you seen anyone else? I just lost track of Leslie but I haven’t seen the detectives.” Dr. Jimenez said, interrupting her. It was a weak attempt at changing the subject and she wasn’t going to allow him to prevail. She approached the doctor slowly, purposefully. She felt like a predator stalking its prey.

“Matter of fact, I have, “she said in a nonchalant voice. “I ran across the police officer’s corpse not too long ago but I have also encountered a very interesting man.” Beads of sweat started to run down his face at her words, he wiped them away with a shaking hand. “He says his name is Ruvik.” He let out a large rush of air, as though she had just punched him in the stomach.

“I-I’ve never heard of him.” He said, turning his back to her. Avoiding her probing eyes. Sophie folded her arms over her chest. This man was a terrible liar. She hoped that he would retain that trait throughout their talk.

“We should find a way out of this place, Miss Burke,” he said in a strained voice. Another weak attempt to steer the course of conversation to safer waters. She ignored him and continued on with her questioning.

“Ruvik seemed to know you, doctor. He claims you were partners and that I was to be your subject. Now what could he possibly have meant by that?” She asked him, anger lacing each word. He abruptly turned to face her.

“That man is insane! You cannot trust anything that he says, Miss Burke.” She took a deliberate step forward, a sickly sweet smile overtaking her face.

“Oh, I have no doubt that he is not in complete control of his faculties, Dr. Jimenez. But I thought you hadn’t heard of him.” The doctor turned green at her words. Good. She wanted him to be uneasy. From the corner of her eye she could see the detective running through the courtyard below. She was running out of time. She decided it was time to cut to the chase. “I need answers, doctor. Why did you bring me here?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She slapped him.

“I am not a fool! I saw you try to hide your briefcase from me and you have been nervous and evasive ever since we met. From one human being to another I am asking you to be honest with me.” He returned his gaze to the zombies below, conflict in his eyes. He let out a sigh and approached her, grasping her arm painfully. 

“You have to understand, what we did was done in the name of progress. I didn’t mean for it to go as far as it did but he went too far, They wanted him to go too far.” They? Who the hell was they? He let go of her arm and he started to pace furiously. It was obvious that he was letting go of years of turmoil. “It started off simple enough. Some lives were lost but they were insane, they were no loss to society. So what was the harm? But I underestimated Ruvik’s genius, his insatiable lust for knowledge. He started to experiment on normal people, people with lives. People who would be missed. He was drawing attention to our work and They could not allow that. So They allowed me to get rid of him. To turn him into the next great step in our project.” The doctor’s eyes were wild as he spoke. He looked half crazed.

“What does any of this have to do with me?” He looked at her with surprise, as though he had forgotten that she was there.

“You were part of the project. You were to be joined with Ruvik, after Leslie, that is.” Joined with him? What on Earth did that mean? He walked back over to her and grabbed her shoulders, his nails digging painfully into her skin.

“I warned them after he was connected with Mr. Rankin. They didn’t believe me, and now we are paying the price.” A door abruptly opening and closing and loud curse words signaled the entrance of the male detective. 

“Ruvik cannot get Leslie! Nothing is more important than this!” He whispered urgently. “If Ruvik gets him it will mean the end to all of us, especially you, Miss Burke.” The woodened steps echoed ominously as the detective climbed the stairs, “Don’t tell any of this to anyone! I don’t know who works for Them. If They found out you knew anything of the project you may be killed…or worse.” He stepped away from her and looked toward the stairwell as the detective entered from below. The doctor called out to him but the detective must have been spooked because he turned his gun on Jimenez.

“Don’t shoot! We’re living!” The doctor said. The detective looked the doctor and Sophie over before moving forward.

“You two were in the ambulance, right? Have you seen anyone else around?” The doctor nodded at the detective’s inquiry. 

“My patient Leslie ran through those gates,” the doctor said, pointing toward the opposite end of the village. “I was chased all the way here by those things. I believe Miss Burke said that she came across the body of the police officer, isn’t that right Miss Burke?” Sophie didn’t respond, she was still trying to process everything that the doctor had just told her.

“Miss Burke?” the doctor asked again and Sophie snapped out of it.

“Huh? What did you say?” 

“It’s ok, I know Officer Connelly is dead. I had to take care of him myself. He turned into whatever those things are out there,” the detective said, unknowingly giving Sophie a bit of a reprieve. 

“I think you should take a look at this, detective,” Jimenez said, indicating for the officer to follow him to the balcony. Sophie stayed in the main part of the building, contemplating her next move.

She would have to lose them, at least temporarily. She needed to get the briefcase open and take the contents without either of them knowing. After what the doctor told her, she knew there was no one for her to trust. One of the detectives could work for Them. Whoever the hell that is. There was a barn about two houses down, it had to have something in there for her to pry the lock open with. She just needed a way over there.

“One of us can lure them away while the other tries to get the gate open. You’re the one with the gun…” Sophie heard the doctor say to the detective. That sounded like a good plan to get everyone killed.

“You can’t be serious.” Sophie said, finally speaking up.

“What’s wrong with my idea,” the doctor asked indignantly. 

“A few things, actually. First of all, if you go out there whooping and hollering then you’re going to make them all swarm around you. In case you haven’t noticed, these particular zombies are very capable of running. Do you really want about twenty of those things chasing after you? Second of all, there isn’t exactly a whole lot of room down there. You would have to double back to the gate and hope to God the detective has gotten it open by that time. Which brings me to my third point. One of those things is guarding the gate with a gun. He’s also on a stairwell which gives him a pretty good vantage point.”

“I can always shoot him.” The detective said, trying to redeem their plan.

“Which would garner the attention of the zombies and make them come after you instead. I thought you would have learned that bullets are a no-no after your last run in with a group of those things.” The detective’s eyebrows furrowed at her words. 

“How did you know I encountered a group of them?” He asked suspiciously. Sophie was taken aback. How could she be so stupid? She couldn’t say that she was right behind him before Ruvik transported her. She didn’t know if he could be trusted.

“I-I was on the other side of the embankment when I saw you run across the bridge. I found a boat to take across.” She hoped to God she was more of a convincing liar than Jimenez. The detective nodded his head but there seemed to be doubt in his eyes.

“So what do you suggest we do, Miss Burke?” The doctor inquired, obviously miffed that his plan had been torn asunder.

“Well, there is a barn not too far away from here. How about we sneak over there, grab some rope, and then use a house close to the wall in order to climb over.” The detective smiled at her words. 

“That sounds like a good plan to me.” He said, slapping her on the back in congratulations.

“The barn?” The doctor asked meekly, the blood draining from his face.

“What’s wrong with the barn?” The detective asked him.

“Oh, it’s just that…I think that someone should remain here. To warn the others in case those things approach them or to cause a distraction if need be.” The doctor was lying again. Sophie looked at the detective through her peripheral vision. He seemed to be perturbed by the doctor’s words.

“Sounds good,” the detective said, his words clipped in irritation. “Take this, I am sure it’ll prove to be distraction enough.” The detective handed him a grenade. Jimenez’s eyes widened from fear and surprise.

“Where on Earth did you get this?” The doctor asked, reluctantly reaching out to take the deadly device. The detective grinned at him.

“I found a bunch of them, actually. They were in a crate by the river.” It was Sophie’s turn for the blood to drain from her face. What if the doctor went looking for weapons in crates while she was gone? He might find the brief case. She didn’t have time to move it though.

“Please keep a good watch while we’re out there, doctor. I would very much like to not die today.” Sophie said, hoping that would be good enough to keep him from snooping around. Jimenez nodded and went to his post on the balcony. Sophie gave a nervous look towards the crate concealing the brief case before following the detective to the stairwell.

“What is your name? Given the circumstances, I’d feel a bit weird if I were to call you ‘Miss Burke’ throughout whatever the hell this situation is.” Sophie brightened at his words. She may not be able to trust him but he seemed like a decent enough guy.

“It’s Sophie.”

“I am Sebastian, although I’d prefer it if you called me Sebs.” Sophie smiled, even though he couldn’t see it.

“Sebs it is then.” When they reached the bottom of the stairwell he turned to face her.

“What kind of weapons do you have on you?” He asked, scanning her over with his eyes.

“Unfortunately, nothing at the moment.” She said sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. She really hadn’t seen anything useful besides some bottles, but those wouldn’t do much for what they were up against.

“Here, take this.” He handed her a hunting knife. The blade was only about five inches long but it’d do in a pinch. “I wish I could give you something better but I only have the one gun.” Sophie shook her head.

“I don’t know how to use a gun and, like I said before, I don’t think a gun is a good idea around these creatures. They seem to be drawn to noise.” 

“I must admit, I am glad you’re the one coming with me,” he said, moving toward the back door, checking behind every corner for any stray zombies.

“Why is that?” she whispered, her heart racing as what they were about to do started to sink into her mind.

“That man is obviously a coward. That’s not the type of person I want watching my back.” They reached the door and he paused, his hand suspended in the air. He looked over his shoulder to her. “Are you ready for this?” Sophie swallowed hard, even though her entire mouth had gone completely dry.

“I am as ready as I’ll ever be.” With that Sebastian opened the door slowly, the hinges protesting loudly from the movement. Sophie couldn’t help but cringe at the noise. It seemed to echo into the night air. She hoped this wasn’t an omen for the rest of their little journey.

They stepped out onto the porch, no zombies in sight. That was a good start. They moved off of the porch and onto the ground, the soft dirt yielding gently beneath their feet. A soft wind drifted by Sophie bringing with it the moans of the damned and the stench of their rotting flesh. She tried not to gag as the foul smell filled her nostrils. It was a smell she would not soon forget. At least the ghosts had never smelled.

When they reached the back of the second house they realized they had a problem, the house went right up against the wall. They would have to go through the house. Sebs let out a curse at their predicament and turned toward her. His eyes widened and he moved to her quickly, tackling her to the ground. Sophie awkwardly craned her neck to look behind her. A zombie with spikes through his body lumbered by them. He was carrying a rather intimidating looking scythe. Sophie looked up at Sebs and mouthed “Thank you,” to him. When the creature finally moved away, the duo stood and quickly brushed themselves off. That was a close one. They really needed to get themselves some cover. They made a beeline for the door. Sebs opened it slowly, thankfully this door didn’t make a noise. About a quarter of the way through opening it, he stopped. He looked back at her and shook his head. 

“How many,” she whispered. He held up four fingers. Well that was a no go. He closed the door quietly. “I think we should just go for it from the front, the barn is right there,” she said, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. They had to, though. They didn’t have any more options. He looked doubtful but nodded his head. They crouched down as low as possible and made their way to the front of the building. Sophie’s palms were sleek with sweat from apprehension, making it difficult for her to grasp her knife. 

Sebs put his hand out to halt her when they reached the front. He looked both ways and gave her a signal to move forward. They moved as fast as possible to a haystack near the barn. They ducked behind it, both of them breathing heavily from their mad dash and fear. When they were certain none of the creatures had seen them, they started to move again. This time, they headed toward an outdoor stairwell connected to the barn. There was probably a smaller chance of zombies being up there. 

As they drew closer to the barn a savage growl emanated from within the wooden structure. The primal noise filled Sophie with dread but based on the look that overcame Sebastian’s face, she would bet it scared him even more. Did the doctor know there was something even more intimidating in the barn? Is that why he didn’t want to come? That’s when what Ruvik said came back to her. ‘Fortunately, there are beings here who are still independent of me. Unfortunately, for you, those entities are much more dangerous than what you just encountered.’ Could the thing making that noise be one of those independent beings that he spoke of? Sebastian grabbed Sophie’s arm and quickly hauled her up the stairs, casting nervous glances at the barn’s lower entrance. When they reached the upper level he raced to the railing and looked below into the barn. Behind a wooden barrier, a huge man wearing some sort of mask was heavily chained to the walls. He shook himself back and forth, trying to break free of his metal shackles. So he was the one making those unnatural snarls. She didn’t hear anything intelligible, though. Ruvik would be upset by that.

“I’ve met him before,” Sebs said, pointing a wary hand at the creature. “Believe me, you do not want to get anywhere near that thing.” Sophie didn’t need to be told twice, that man down there was viciousness incarnate. 

“Let’s look around for the rope and get out of here. I think we’ll be ok to split up on this level, it’s open and there don’t seem to be any of those things up here,” Sophie suggested. Sebs frowned at her proposal. He obviously wasn’t a fan of her idea.

“Ok, but we have to stay within each other’s line of sight. I am only agreeing to this so that we can get away from that man before he breaks loose.” With that, they separated. Sophie went to the left, there wasn’t that much to see, just a small alcove. Sebs had the rest of the U-shaped niche to explore. Sophie approached a small workbench. There didn’t seem to be any rope but something as equally valuable presented itself, a tool box. She greedily opened it and looked inside. There was a cornucopia of tools inside but the two that got her real excited was a hammer and a thick chisel. She now had a way into Jimenez’s briefcase! She quickly put the items in her book bag and stood up. She looked over to where Sebastian was on the opposite side of the barn. He was looking down into the lower level with a sour look on his face. It looked like his search didn’t turn up any rope either.   
She started to walk to him with a gleeful bounce in her step, although she kept her face passive. She didn’t want to share what she just found with him. As she walked past the doorway to the outside stairwell a loud ‘thump’ caught her attention. The sudden noise made her jump and set her heart racing. She cautiously moved to the opening and looked out into the night. There, collapsed on the upper landing, was a female zombie holding a large knife. It looked like someone had snapped her neck. She looked down the stairwell and out into the courtyard. No one seemed to be there. Who could have done that? She doubted it was Dr. Jimenez. Even if it was, why would he run away after he saved her? She rubbed her arms as she turned away from the dead woman, goose bumps forming on her skin. She was getting really sick of this strange place. 

She closed the distance to Sebastian, the bounce now gone from her step.

“You found nothing,” he said as more of a statement then a question. His gaze was still glued to the lower level.

“Unfortunately,” she affirmed, following his gaze to see what enamored him so. There, right next to the caged man was a length of rope. “If you want I can go down there and get it,” she volunteered. Even though the thought of approaching the figure in the cage made her heart jump into her throat with fear. He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

“What type of cop would I be if I allowed you to go down there while I waited up here?” he said, giving her an uneasy smile. “Listen, in case something does happen, I want you to have these.” He handed her three grenades. 

“Don’t you think this is a little overkill?” she asked, her voice full of reservation. He moved to a nearby ladder and started climbing down.

“Believe me, if you saw what that that thing is capable of, you would know that three grenades is not nearly enough.” With that he disappeared as he started his descent. Sophie moved to the edge and watched his progress. The entrapped monster seemed to sense his approach because his howls and attempts to escape only increased in ferocity. Sebs jumped the last few steps and ran towards the rope. As his hand enclosed around the cord, a familiar shiver ran its way slowly down Sophie’s spine. Her head snapped up to the opposite side of the barn. Ruvik was standing there, starring at her.

“Well, Miss Burke, can you understand the Sadist?” He asked, his voice coming out like a purr from deep within his chest. Her eyes darted down to Sebastian, he didn’t seem to realize that Ruvik was there. She returned her eyes to the figure before her.

“No. I am sorry.” She was sorry. Not because she knew it would upset him, but because of what he might do because of it.

“How disappointing. I expected more from you.” He smiled at her over the vast expanse, raising his right hand into the air. “Perhaps, it is time for a variable to be introduced to this experiment.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared once again. Below, the heart stopping noise of chains being ripped from the wall sounded throughout the barn. Sophie looked over the edge in horror. Sebastian had just reached the ladder but had hesitated at the sound.

“Move!” She yelled down at him. Just as a new and even more terrifying sound took over the noise of the loosened chains. The Sadist had a chainsaw.


	5. Chapter 5

“I would recommend you remain relevant to me, Miss Burke. You wouldn’t want me to lose interest in you or your ability. That would not work well in your favor.” He left her then. Transporting himself to the roof of the building. So far everything was going better than he had planned. The only drawback was that he still had not fully recuperated from his excursion out into the real world. That particular venture had required a great expenditure of energy, but he had expected that. Giving himself physical form again, even temporarily, was not an easy task. He may be weakened at the moment but it would only be a matter of time before he regained his strength. Even now he could feel the power flow into him. When he was fully restored, that’s when the real fun would begin.

“My God, there are so many of them!” Ruvik heard the doctor exclaim from below. He gritted his teeth in anger. Jimenez. That man was going to pay for his betrayal. The pain he put Ruvik through, peeling him apart piece by piece until only his most precious commodity remained would be child’s play in comparison. Soon. Soon he would have his revenge.

“Doctor Jimenez,” Ruvik heard a soft female whisper from beneath his feet. It seemed that the clairvoyant had ventured out of the room. She had been an unexpected gift. His main purpose in taking form again had been to obtain Leslie, which he accomplished easily enough. It was on his last run through of the hospital that he had found her. When she had evaded his blow she made him feel something that he rarely felt, surprise. When he originally read her case file he was wary at best. Many people claimed to have clairvoyant abilities. Although, from what he understood, it was rare for such people to try and stop their ability. Regardless if she was legitimate or not, the whole medical community was convinced that she was. If there was some decent photographic or filmed evidence he may have been more accepting. As it were, she had refused to be recorded in any capacity. Her file said she feared the public finding out what she was and making a spectacle of her life. It wasn’t until about the tenth doctor contacted Jimenez to discuss her ability that Ruvik decided that he had to examine her. He found out who her current specialist was, a Dr. Mayer, and made sure that Sophie took an interest in Dr. Jimenez’s work. Or, more accurately, his work.

“He says his name is Ruvik.” The woman using his name caught his attention. He listened intently to their conversation. To the medium’s persistent questions and Jimenez’s poor attempts to thwart her. The only thing that drew his attention away was when he noticed the detective entering the village. He couldn’t help but smile when he heard the girl slap Jimenez. Soon Jimenez would get a lot worse than a mere slap to the face. 

Ruvik wasn’t surprised when the doctor started to reveal details of the project to her. Jimenez had grown soft over the years. He had been planning to cut Jimenez out of his research because of it but, unfortunately, Jimenez had acted first. Such a mistake would not be made again. The duos repertoire was halted as the detective joined them. After a bit of irrelevant chatter, the detective and Jimenez moved out to the terrace to discuss their course of action. Jimenez, of course, came up with his own ridiculous plan that he expected the others to follow. He had always been controlling. Always needed things to go his way. It was Miss Burke, not the detective, who pointed out the inherent flaws in his plan. She was an astute female. It was somewhat unfortunate that he was going to eventually kill her.

Miss Burke offered her own plan: get a rope and climb down the wall. It was a simplistic plan but a better one than Jimenez had concocted. Ruvik didn’t miss the sudden apprehension in Jimenez’s voice when the girl mentioned the barn. He must have heard the Sadist in there earlier. He didn’t warn the other two, though. That was typical of Jimenez. He always left others to do the dirty work for him. Never giving them the full details, but always benefiting from their labors. 

When the detective and the girl left the room he walked across the roof to watch them emerge from the back entrance. They moved cautiously, slowly at first as they stepped from the safety of the porch to the ground below. It was rather dull to watch them sneaking around but it was something to do while he recuperated. Ruvik felt something ugly arise within him when the detective dragged her to the ground, his body lying on top of hers. He knew that feeling. It was old and disused but he knew. He was jealous. 

He guessed it was only to be expected. He had never been intimate with a woman. His injuries wouldn’t allow it. They had never truly healed, leaving him in perpetual agony. Then there were the headaches. They were persistent dull throbs that encompassed his entire skull. Pain had been his constant companion. The only thing that could take his mind off of the agony was delving into his research. It was different here. There was no pain. Well, at least for him there wasn’t. It had been a long time since he felt…normal. It only made sense that urges and desires would emerge that he was not able to indulge in previously. It didn’t help that she was a fairly pretty female. He had thought her above average in appearance when they first met but dark shadows under her eyes, glazed over eyes, and a complexion drained of color detracted from her looks. When he encountered her again at the bridge he was interested to see the results a good rest had on her appearance. The shadows were gone, her skin took on a healthy glow, and her eyes seemed brighter. When he had touched her hair he was somewhat mesmerized by how soft it was, how it felt like silk falling through his fingertips. He glared down at the pair as they stood up and moved to the doorway of the house next door. He needed to keep his desires at bay. Now was not the time or place to act on them. When he obtained a permanent physical form he could sedate his lust and continue on with his life.

The pair quickly abandoned the house when the detective peered inside. Ruvik knew that some of his creatures were in there. The detective and the girl moved to the front of the house and ran to a haystack in the vicinity of the barn. They then started to move toward the barn itself but they stilled their movement, struck with fear, when they heard the Sadist’s chaotic growls. Ruvik smiled. He liked to see their terror. Knowing that his world instilled it within them made him feel powerful. In control. Like a God. 

The detective grabbed hold of the medium’s arm and hauled up the outer stairwell, disappearing into the barn. His heart quickened with anticipation. He was going to confront Miss Burke soon and find out if she could understand the Sadist. The result of an experiment always excited him. It was a necessary step to a result, to knowledge. From the corner of his eye Ruvik spotted one of his zombies climbing the stairwell. He made no move to stop her. Watching those two skirting the edges of danger bored him. It was time for them to face some physical peril. The female zombie waited patiently at the entrance, keeping to the shadows. While the individual personality of the creatures was lost, they did retain some of their more primal instincts. Such as lying in wait for their prey to cross their path. Ruvik watched the medium walk past some windows, approaching the zombie in the doorway. He noticed that she seemed particularly pleased with herself. Had she found a rope? The zombie raised her knife into the air, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. That’s when Ruvik noticed something. This particular zombie didn’t make any noise. Most of them growled or breathed heavily but no noise emanated from this particular creature. He had counted on the girl at least being aware of the creature’s presence and then a fight to ensue but none of that would happen if the girl didn’t know she was in danger.

Sure enough, the girl walked by the opening completely unaware that death lay hidden nearby. The zombie took a step forward, the knife starting to descend. A brief moment of alarm shot through him. She couldn’t die. He still needed to confirm her abilities. In an instant he transported to the stairwell, broke the zombie’s neck, and transported back. He kneeled down behind a chimney stack as Sophie came to the entrance to investigate. She looked nervous as she looked out into the dark. He watched with interest as she moved her hands up and down her arms in comfort. A niggling thought in the back of his mind made him wonder what her unblemished skin would feel like beneath his burned fingertips. He quickly smothered such thoughts. They were only a hindrance. 

When the girl moved away from the opening he transported back to the landing. He watched her approach the detective, her eyes following his gaze down to the lower level. The desired rope must be down there. They exchanged a few words before the detective went down a nearby ladder. Ruvik stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the barn, his eyes fixated on the girl. She must have sensed his presence because she looked up at him. 

“Well, Miss Burke, can you understand the Sadist?” He said, enjoying the fear the engulfed her features.

“No. I am sorry.” She sounded sincere in her apology. He knew the odds of her being able to understand the Sadist were only slightly better than her chances of understanding the zombies. After all, the Sadist, while physically dead, was still very much alive in Ruvik’s mind. He was, by no means, a ghost. He had to know for certain, though. He was not a man to leave such things untested. Even if he knew this was the most likely outcome, he did not inform her of that fact. Instead, he decided to have some fun.

“How disappointing. I expected more from you.” He couldn’t help but smile at her, he was looking forward to what he was about to do.

“Perhaps, it is time for a variable to be introduced to this experiment.” He snapped his fingers and released the Sadist from his bondage. Ruvik retreated to a higher level of the barn in order to watch the unfolding chaos below. The Sadist started his chainsaw and the girl shouted down to the detective. The man clamored up the ladder as the feral beast burst through his woodened cage, the splintering of wood cracking like thunder. When the detective reached the top he saw the medium pull something out of her bag and toss it below. A few seconds later a burst of noise and dust exploded by the Sadist. So the girl had found some grenades. As the dirt settled, the Sadist remained standing, barely fazed by the weapon. Although, much angrier. 

“Sebastian, I hope you have a lot of bullets!” He heard the girl exclaimed. The detective walked over to a nearby bench and picked up a crossbow.

“I found this but there’s not much ammunition,” the detective responded. He moved to the top of the ladder and aimed the weapon below. He let loose the bolt and it hit the shoulder of the climbing Sadist. Once again, the creature showed little sign of being injured. With the Sadist drawing near, the duo fled to the stairwell and back out into the night. Ruvik transported himself to the roof of the barn.

“You get Jimenez and get to the rooftop over there,” the man called Sebastian said, pointing to the house that rested directly against the wall. “Set up the rope and get across, I’ll keep that thing distracted.” Ruvik saw the girl give a shaky nod and sprint to the house where he had first brought her. The Sadist appeared at the top of the stairwell and let out an angry howl. The detective pulled out his pistol and shot the enraged creature until the click of an empty barrel echoed below. 

“Damn it!” The detective cursed and ran to a far off building, dodging zombies as he ran. The Sadist ran after him, cutting down any of the other creatures who dared to cross his path. The Sadist’s insatiable lust for violence had allows amused Ruvik. He had been an especially interesting specimen. The detective reached the stoop of a building but before he entered he turned around and fired a bolt at the Sadist with a crossbow. He missed and let out another curse before entering the building. Soon after, the Sadist reached the door and barreled through it. 

At the opposite side of the clearing, Ruvik saw Jimenez leave the building and run to the house next door. The clairvoyant wasn’t with him. What could she be up to? Ruvik watched with delight as Jimenez threw the door open to the cabin and let out an astonished cry. He turned around to run but tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. He crawled on his hands, trying to pick himself up to his feet as four zombies came out of the house after him. A zombie with an axe appeared in front of Jimenez, blocking his escape into the house where the medium still remained. Without any other options, Jimenez regained his footing and ran to the barn. The zombies close on his heel. Interested to know what had happened to the woman, Ruvik transported himself to the second story balcony of the building.

He should have known. The girl had Jimenez’s suitcase on top of a crate and was trying to pry it open with a chisel and a hammer.

“Come on you stupid thing, OPEN!” She shouted at the stubborn object.

“Does yelling at inanimate objects make them do your bidding, Miss Burke?” Ruvik asked her in a calm voice. She whirled around to face him, fury alight in her eyes.

“I was yelling in frustration, I wasn’t expecting this stupid lump of metal to actually listen or respond.” She held the briefcase tightly against her side, as though she was afraid he would try to take it from her. He grinned at her impudence and idiocy. If he truly wanted that briefcase she would be of little consequence in his retrieval of it. He took a few steps forward to enter the building. He saw her wince slightly as he approached but she didn’t relent her tight hold on the briefcase.

“I just witnessed something rather peculiar, Miss Burke.” She looked straight into his eyes, an impassive look on her face.

“Oh, and what can that be?” She asked, her voice trying to remain calm but she couldn’t quite conceal the trepidation from slipping through.

“I saw Jimenez run to the building next to this one and open the door with very little concern for the zombies within. It was as though he was not aware they were in there. Now, how could that be?” She tilted her head up and gave him a wry smile.

“Easy, I didn’t tell him they were in there.” He felt something akin to excitement run through him. Wasn’t this a curious development?

“Really? Now why would you fail to mention such crucial information?” Anger flashed in her green eyes.

“When I came to get Jimenez I asked him whether or not he knew about that thing in the barn. He said that he had heard something fearsome inside but he didn’t want to mention it in fear that Sebastian would make him go instead of me. Very gallant of him, no? So I told him to make his way up to the roof next door while I searched for weapons to help Sebastian. He failed to mention some vital information and so I returned the favor,” she shook her head in disgust. “Sebastian was right, he is a coward. If we had known that thing was in there we could have searched for more weapons or bullets. We could have been prepared. Instead, we wanted to get out of here as fast as possible and so we entered a situation without knowing all of the threats. That’s unacceptable.” Her voice rose with her fury, the color rising in her cheeks and her eyes shining brightly. He decided she was lovely when she was angry. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of such thoughts. He transported himself directly in front of her. He heard her inhale a large gust of air when he appeared before her. Apparently the clairvoyant was still not used to his power.

“I enjoy seeing Jimenez scurry away in fear like the pathetic animal that he is. I believe that a reward is in order.” He leaned down slightly, closer to her face. Her eyes widened as he drew near. She leaned away from him as he inclined further down.

“W-Wait I-“she stammered out, but the noise of the briefcase clicking open halted her words. She twisted her head around to see Ruvik’s hand resting on top of the cold metal. He had barely touched it and it had opened. She turned back to him, her mouth agape.

“What did you think I was going to do, Miss Burke?” He asked, giving her a sardonic smile before disappearing.

He returned to his post on top of the roof. He soon heard the rustling of paper as the medium transferred the files from the briefcase to her backpack.

“That man is going to be the death of me,” she said to the empty room. She was right, he would be. First, he would have to deal with Leslie. He was the next crucial step in this whole ordeal. Then it was Miss Burke’s turn.

The crashing of wood across the village brought Ruvik’s attention back to the Sadist and the detective. The detective was running to the barn again. He climbed the outer stairwell and when he reached the landing he turned around and aimed at the Sadist, shotgun in hand. So, the detective had found another weapon. The detective let loose the deadly shrapnel and disappeared into the barn. Below, Ruvik heard the screeching of a door opening. Ruvik moved himself across the roof and looked down in time to see the woman disappearing into the house next door which was now conveniently void of the undead.

Ruvik had enjoyed toying with her. He had to be careful, though. As he bent down, pretending a kiss was his intention, he found himself desiring for it not to be pretend. To actually feel her lips beneath his. This was disturbing. He had to find a way to banish such lustful thoughts. They would only impede him. 

The girl soon reappeared on the building’s roof. She ran to the chimney and quickly tied the rope around its wide girth. Once complete, she threw the length of the rope over the wall and ran to the opposite side of the rooftop.

“Sebs! Jimenez! I have the rope ready!” She yelled in the direction of the barn. She stood there rigid, like a statue, as she waited for the two men to appear. About thirty seconds later the men appeared, running at a mad dash. Ruvik noticed that they seemed to be limping. As they exited the barn the Sadist appeared on the second story. He let out a gurgled scream and waved his chainsaw above his head. The Sadist lumbered his way down the stairwell but by the time he reached the bottom, Jimenez and the detective were entering into the house with the rope. A bright flash of light engulfed the Sadist for a moment, temporarily bringing him to his knees. Ruvik cast his eyes back to the woman. She was pulling another grenade from her bag. Before she could throw it, though, the two men appeared on the roof.

“Wait! He’s almost finished, let me take care of him. We might need that grenade later.” The detective said through heavy, panting breaths. The detective leveled his shotgun at the weakened creature and fired off two shots, effectively killing the Sadist. “Let’s get out of here.” He said to her and they made their way to the rope. Ruvik noted that the doctor had already scurried down into safety. As the woman and detective disappeared over the wall, Ruvik transported himself down to the body of the Sadist. He stood there, looking down at the giant slab of flesh as large droplets of blood started to come out of the Sadist and into Ruvik’s body. The Sadist was too fascinating a specimen to waste. He may come in handy in the future, so he decided to absorb his consciousness. As the last of the Sadist’s body turned into blood and entered Ruvik, he turned to look at the wall. Wondering what his next approach to the medium and her ability would be.


	6. Chapter 6

The trio stood below the wall, stunned and out of breath from their close encounter with death. Sophie leaned against the stone barrier, letting the coolness of the rocks to seep into her skin. The shocking chill against her heated skin felt nice and it reminded her that she was still alive. She looked at the two men before her. They appeared to have endured their encounter with the Sadist fairly well except for a limp they acquired while in the barn. She felt mildly bad for not warning Jimenez, he could have been killed because of her. Then again, Sebastian and Sophie could have died due to his own lack of information. Furthermore, the only reason she was here to begin with was because of him. She changed her mind. She didn’t feel bad.

“How is everyone? Any injuries,” the detective asked, sounding very much like the cop he was.

“I am fine. Just a few bumps and bruises,” Sophie responded, looking at her surroundings for any signs of zombies on this side of the wall. She noticed Sebastian looking around as well, his finger close to his gun’s trigger. “How about you guys? Why are you limping?”

“Well, Miss Burke,” Jimenez said, seething with anger, “after I got chased away by those things from the house where you sent me, I took cover in the barn. Then, the detective led that creature right to me and in order to evade it we had to jump from the second story of the barn!” 

“Wait, you didn’t warn him about the zombies in there?” The detective inquired, giving her a disapproving frown. She turned away from Sebastian and his reproachful glare in order to address Jimenez instead.

“I am sorry. I guess in the heat of the moment it slipped my mind. Isn’t it strange how such things happen like that, doctor.” She said, smiling through her teeth. The detective watched the discourse between them. He seemed to have caught on to the undercurrents of their conversation because he nodded his head at Sophie, giving her a significant look.

“Whatever happened in there is over. We need to look to the future now,” Sebs said, taking control of the situation. “It looks like there’s a gate over there. Maybe your patient ran through it.” The doctor seemed to perk up at the mention of his patient.

“Yes, I have to find Leslie immediately. He is very delicate.” The doctor rose from the ground and brushed the dirt from his pants, turning to walk toward the gate. Sophie and the detective followed him, although they left a bit of distance between them and Jimenez.

“Sophie, I think I can gather what happened in there concerning the doctor.” Sophie gave him a cautious look of interest. “I think the doctor did us wrong so you did him wrong in return,” he gave her a stern look. “That was very childish. Two wrongs do not make a right. We have to rise above pettiness in this situation.” She winced at his words. She had had second thoughts about her actions as well but she stood by what she did. It may not have been morally sound but Jimenez had it coming. Besides, who was he to judge her? 

“The doctor needed to be taught a lesson. If he thinks that he can get away with such impudence than he will continue to do it,” she stopped to look at him, he halted his movements as well. “We find ourselves in a very unique and dangerous situation, detective. You were right, Jimenez is a coward. He needs to know that if he tries that again, there will be serious repercussions. I haven’t gotten this far in my life only to be brought down by that sniveling weakling,” she hissed at him. He looked taken aback by her words but he didn’t back down.

“So you think lowering yourself to his level was the right thing to do?” His words filled her with rage.

“I am nothing like him,” she said, eyes blazing. “He put us in danger out of cowardice. I put him in danger as a warning. Don’t forget who followed you into that barn, Sebastian.” She turned to leave but he grabbed onto her arm.

“I haven’t forgotten, nor will I ever forget. I just…I just need to know that I can trust you despite what stupid things I may do or what Jimenez is bound to do again.” She looked deep into his hazel eyes.

“I am not going to die here, Sebastian,” she said in an eerily calm voice. “I will try to do what is right and do what I can to help but I won’t let anyone actively endanger my life. If Jimenez becomes a liability to my safety then he will pay the consequences, whatever they may be.” He nodded his head weakly and let his arm drop to his side. 

“Is something wrong, you two?” The doctor asked, looking back at them.

“Everything is fine,” Sophie quipped, storming off ahead of them in irritation. She was angry at everything. At the situation she was in, for Jimenez’s cowardice, for Ruvik’s mysterious and dangerous ways, at Sebastian’s reproach, but most of all she was angry at herself. She knew that Sebastian was right. That she had acted irresponsibly and she had put someone’s life in danger. But what really made her mad was the fact that the more she thought of what happened, the less guilty she felt for doing it. When had she become so calloused? So uncaring? No, she was a good person. It was just this place, this situation, and the fact that Jimenez was a very odious man. 

From the corner of her eye she could have sworn she saw a flash of white cloth but when she turned her head to get a better look, nothing was there. She didn’t doubt her eyes for a moment. She was certain that Ruvik was still following them. Had he heard Sophie and Sebastian’s conversation? If so, he probably got a kick out of it. An image of him bending down toward her flashed through her mind. She put a finger to her lips. She had been convinced that he was going to kiss her. It had been a long time since a man had kissed her, well over two years ago. Even before she started to see the dead her love life had been very meager. She had been preparing to be a doctor and between the classwork, working at the hospital, and trying to maintain her friendships; she had no time for men. In a weird way she did find him attractive. It was obvious that if he didn’t have the burns he would have been a very handsome man. It was more than that, though. It was the way he carried himself; his confidence and his intelligence. He also had the most astonishing gray eyes and the sexiest voice she had ever heard. It was too bad he was completely insane.

Sophie walked through the gate and saw grim buildings of stone in a small clearing. Thick fog clung to the air, drifting slowly in haphazard swirls. Sophie wondered what dangers could be lurking in that mist. More zombies, another Sadist, or something even deadlier? The doctor and Sebs soon came up behind her. The gate slammed shut behind them.

“Ah, the hospice. Leslie was being treated here years ago. He’d come here thinking it was familiar and safe,” the doctor said, once again taking the lead.

“You know where we are?” The detective inquired.

“This is my brother’s hospice. He will take us in.” 

“That didn’t answer my question,” the detective responded. Sophie looked around at the weathered buildings and the farm animals running about.

“What type of hospice is this?” She asked incredulously. She saw the doctor tense up at her inquiry. He ignored her question, not that that surprised her.

“Honestly, I don’t know where we are. For all I know you’re both figments of my imagination and I am losing my mind.” Sophie let out a small mocking laugh. If this was his brother’s hospice then how could he not know where they were? He was being shifty again.

“But I like to think I still have a shred of dignity left,” he continued and once again Sophie scoffed at his words. He turned his head to glare at her, “I believe I have an obligation to my patient, Miss Burke.”

“If only such sentiment extended to others, doctor.” He crinkled his nose in disgust and turned back around, going into the hospice. Sophie entered the building warily, her eyes darting in every direction, just waiting for something to pop out at them. The inside was in even greater disrepair than the outside; plaster was peeling from the walls, trash strewn about the floor, and a thick layer of grim on virtually every surface. Sophie thought that she heard crazed murmuring but she couldn’t be sure. Or, more accurately, she didn’t want to hear any demented muttering. The doctor eagerly made his way to an open doorway, calling to his brother. Sophie and the detective followed him into the room. The doctor strode confidently forward, approaching a dark figure behind a curtain. The muttering had gotten louder and now she could make out the words “Peel it away…Skin…Itchy.” For a moment she thought that a ghost must be in the room. It certainly sounded like their usual discourse. Sophie and Sebastian held back for a moment. Something was obviously wrong. 

“Doctor wait...” Sebastian called out but the doctor ignored him.

“Valerio, I…” the words died in his throat. Sophie and Sebastian followed him behind the curtain and were met with a grotesque sight.

“Don’t worry, the good doctor is here,” a large man said, bent over a figure on a gurney. The sickening dull thump of bloodied flesh and organs hitting the floor made Sophie sick to her stomach. The hunched over figure rose up from his bloody work, rolling his shoulders back as he did so. He turned to the trio slowly. His face was a mash of sickly gray skin and peeled away flesh. His eyes were void of color but they seemed to have a light glowing within them. He snarled and charged at them. Sebastian raised his gun and shot the man in the head, he collapsed immediately. As the man hit the floor, the room began to shake violently. Sebastian let out a cry of pain and grabbed his head, falling to his knees from the agony. Sophie went to comfort him but a shimmering vision of the dead doctor appeared where he had previously stood, bent over the gurney. He was cutting up the man on the table. Unfortunately, the man was still alive. The poor man let out shrieks of anguish with each cut but the doctor was not moved by the man’s pain. Sophie watched with revulsion as the demented doctor pulled out a key and put it inside of the screaming man’s body and sewed him up. As he finished his work, the doctor started yelling about being itchy and he clawed large chunks of flesh from his head and face. Sophie looked on at the bloody scene in horror and disgust. What was wrong with him? Just as suddenly as it had started, it ended and the disturbing image disappeared. Sebastian’s cries of pain stopped but he remained on the ground shaking.

“What the hell was that?” He asked. Sophie shook her head. She was at a loss of words. Had Ruvik created that vision? What other powers could he possibly have?

“H-How could he done that to Valerio? No…it couldn’t be Ruvik.” Sophie glanced over at the doctor. He was leaning against a wall and looking forward with a glazed look in his eyes. He was in denial. He knew this was Ruvik. He just didn’t want to admit how powerful he was. 

Sophie moved to the man on the table, she picked up a scalpel on a nearby tray. She knew what she had to do. The vision had made that clear. Sebs had done his part by taking care of the insane Valerio, now it was her turn to step up to the plate. She inhaled a slow, unsteady breath to prepare herself for what she must do. She inserted the knife at the top of the man’s chest where the incisions began. The ease of the skin dividing beneath the blade made her feel uneasy. Human flesh was so weak. It could be so easily penetrated, so easily torn and destroyed. It made her feel so…frail. She thrust the blade downward, forming a gaping hole in the man’s chest cavity. Sophie couldn’t help but cough at the reek of his innards. He smelled like he had been dead for weeks. She looked down at the flesh hoping to see the glint of the key, but she saw nothing. Great, this was going to be unpleasant. Closing her eyes she plunged her hand into the man’s body. The squishing sound of organs and sloshing blood made her want to hurl but she kept her composure. After what felt like an eternity, her hand finally wrapped around the small, metal object. As she lifted it out of the body, the man rose suddenly and let out a blood curdling scream, grabbing at her roughly. She shoved him away from her and ran over to Sebastian. The man fell to the ground, his innards spilling onto the floor. He was finally dead. That poor man. He had been through something truly horrific. Sophie moved to a sink and thoroughly washed her shaking hands and the key with cool water and a lump of soap. When she completed her task she returned to Sebastian and the doctor. Both seemed to have recovered from their various traumas.

“Are you feeling ok?” She asked Sebastian, concern in her voice. Even though they had had an argument she still cared for him. He seemed like a good guy and it was clear that he had a very clear line of what was right and wrong. She couldn’t fault him for that.

“I am doing better now. It felt like my head was tearing apart. What was inside of that man?” She held out the key to him.

“This. I guess we should find out what it belongs to. It had better be something important because I did not go through that just to get a box of matches.” She gave him a forced smile but he looked at her with confusion in return.

“You mean you haven’t been to that place?” He asked her, refusing to take the key.

“What place? What are you...” 

“AHHHH!” A sudden scream interrupted Sophie. 

“That came from outside.” Sebastian said, moving to the door of the hospice, effectively putting their conversation on hold. They walked out into the courtyard with caution, looking around for any signs of the disturbed young man. A scream emanated from a nearby building.

“Over there!” The doctor exclaimed, urging the detective forward to the house. It was obvious the doctor was wary about taking the lead when danger was possible, even if it was his patient’s life at risk.

They entered the building cautiously. Just like the hospice, it was in great decay but there was something decidedly creepier about this particular building. Everything seemed to be covered in a red haze, as though the light shone through a sheen of blood. They came to a small room that looked like it belonged to some obsessive maniac. A lone, tattered chair faced a wall covered in hundreds of photos. Sophie was curious to know what was on those pictures but decided she was probably better off not knowing.

“Help me…Help me…” A small voice said across the room. They ran forward into an entryway on the other side of the room and found themselves in a dark room. Hidden in a corner they found the prolific Leslie. At the sight of them Leslie started to become erratic.

“Leslie! Thank goodness! Doctor Jimenez is here.” The doctor said, moving forward to grab Leslie roughly around his middle. 

“Wait, I think something is coming,” the detective said, walking back into the room. Sophie remained in the dark room but watched Sebastian move cautiously to the door that they had entered. She hadn’t heard anything and figured he was just being paranoid. Which was understandable, given their current situation. When the detective was halfway through the room the door suddenly slammed open but nothing came through. Sophie felt a pang of fear as she waited for something to happen. Out of nowhere Sebastian was thrown roughly against the wall. Sophie moved toward him but stopped as a man with tentacles coming out of his face suddenly appeared, choking Sebs. Where had he come from?! Sophie quickly moved to the other side of the room and grabbed a heavy candlestick holder and ran over to Sebastian and the tentacle man. She clasped the metal object in both her hands, raised it above her head and brought it down as hard as she could. The man let go of Sebastian and stumbled backwards, blinking back into invisibility.

“Crap, where did he go?!” She yelled, desperately looking around the room. She took several steps backwards, her heart beating furiously in her chest. She was going to die. How could she possibly fight against something that was invisible? As her back hit the wall she felt something grab fiercely at her throat. Out of shock she dropped the candlestick holder and grabbed at her throat in desperation. The man became visible once more and he leaned down toward her, as though he were going to kiss her. She tried to push him away with her left hand as she tried to remove his hands from her throat with her right. This seemed to anger him because he let out a harsh rush of air from his tentacled face before slamming her onto the ground. He straddled her hips and once again tried to move his face to hers, all the while still choking her. She was running out of air. She weakly tried to push him away but her strength was quickly leaving her. Blackness was starting to creep into the outer edges of her vision. It wouldn’t be long now. She had to do something or else she would die. She couldn’t die here, not like this. Not like this…

A loud bang filled the room and the creature’s hands loosened from her throat. She greedily sucked in the dusty air as the man’s weight completely collapsed on top of her. His tentacles grazed against her cheek as she coughed and gasped for air. Sebastian moved forward and rolled the creature off of her. She sat up and backed away from it, massaging her aching throat. A noticeable bullet hole was in the side of the creature’s head. Sebastian had saved her. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she croaked out. He helped her to her feet.

“Are you alright? I am sorry I didn’t get over here sooner, that thing knocked the air right out of me.” He moved her hands away from her throat to have a look at the damage. “You’re going to have some pretty nasty bruises, they’re already starting to form, but you should be fine.” She nodded her head at him gratefully, not wanting to speak at the moment. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and started to wipe at her face and hair. When he pulled it away she could see it was covered with blood and gore. A moment of panic seized her as she thought that it was from her but she quickly realized it was blood spatter from the creature. When Sebs was finished with his work he dropped the handkerchief to the floor and he let Sophie lean against him as they headed back to the darkroom. Her steps were slow and shaky, it felt like her knees were going to give out beneath her. She needed to sit down and regain her composure.

As they turned the corner and saw Jimenez and Leslie standing there a sudden, blinding anger overtook her. She pushed Sebastian away and moved forward toward the doctor. Her shaky legs almost gave out as she punched Jimenez in the face. She thankfully maintained her stance but he did not. He fell to the floor with a cry of pain, holding his bloodied nose in his hand. Her hand hurt like hell but she ignored the pain.

“Where were you?! We needed you!” She shouted at him, tears of anger and hysteria falling down her cheeks.

“I-I was protecting Leslie.” He stammered out. She took a menacing step forward and he winced.

“He seemed to be doing pretty well for himself before. We could have died! Then what would you have done?! You stupid, stupid, cowardly worm!” 

“Sophie listen…”Sebastian said from behind her in a calming voice. She turned to him.

“No, Sebastian. I refuse to be in his company any longer. We can take Leslie with us but not him! I have had it!”

“Sophie,” he moved toward her and put his hands on her shoulders in comfort. “You know we can’t do that. It wouldn’t be right. He would die.” She grabbed his hands and threw them off of her.

“Fine. Stay with him. But I am going off on my own. I would rather die because of my own mistakes then the cowardice of another.” She went to leave the room but she realized that their surroundings had changed. They were no longer in the dark room but a long hallway.

“What the…” Sophie began but stopped when she saw who was at the other end of the hallway, Ruvik. What was he up to now?

“Ruvik! It is you.” She heard the doctor exclaim from behind her.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance in your desire for some space, Miss Burke.” Suddenly, the entire hallway seemed to shift and change around them, as though reality itself was being twisted. Sophie tried to run but she found herself flying through the air. An unknown force pushed her towards the back wall but instead of hitting it, she went right through. As she fell she couldn’t help but look at Ruvik. He still stood in the same place, seemingly untouched by the chaos around him. She could no longer see his face but she could have sworn that he was smiling at her. She continued to fall, a black void slowly enveloping her.

‘What is Ruvik going to do with me?’ Sophie thought, before the darkness completely consumed her.


	7. Chapter 7

Ruvik stood above the girl as she slept on the hospital bed. She was so innocent…so weak…so beautiful. He raised his hand to touch her soft locks once more but he stilled his hand right above her head. It lingered in the air like an animal waiting to strike. He needed to fight such unwanted urges. Then again, this was his world and she belonged to him. So why should he tamper down his lusts and wants? Why should he resist? He lightly placed his hand on her head and allowed her hair to drift slowly through his fingers. He was briefly reminded of his sister’s own long tresses but Laura’s hair had been darker and thicker. It did not feel like strands of silk like this girl’s did. He idly wondered what her hair would feel like against his cheeks…his lips…his chest. Such a deliciously attractive and annoying prospect. As his fingers reached her neck he couldn’t help but frown at the dark bruises that graced her skin. He needed to be more careful. She was a valuable asset and he could no longer put her safety to chance. He had made the necessary arrangements to keep Leslie safe on his journey to the light house but giving two people such protection, especially in his weakened state, would be troublesome. He would have to put the girl somewhere safe until it was time to properly examine and experiment on her. 

He allowed his hand to graze against the bruises on her neck. Her brow knitted in a small frown from the pain, he smiled at her discomfort. He enjoyed seeing her disturbed and flustered. Her eyelids fluttered softly open as she regained consciousness.

“You have quite the temper, Miss Burke,” Ruvik said in his deep, rough voice. The girl’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized that the man before her was no mere dream. She raised up abruptly and moved to the opposite side of the bed.

“Where am I?” She asked, looking anxiously around the small room.

“That is not what I wish to discuss,” she gave him a confused look at his words. “I wish to discuss your temper, Miss Burke.” She stared at him for a moment, clearly pondering her next move, but she did as she was told and answered him. At least she was more intelligent than she was stubborn. She took in a long, deep breath, presumably to gather her nerves.

“I used to be very calm and timid. I kind of just slipped into the background of the world. I was comfortable there,” she let out a weary sigh. “But being constantly surrounded by the dead took that away from me. I am always on edge, waiting for the next interruption and aggravation to enter into my life. I had to grow a back bone and learn to stick up for myself or else I would have been completely overwhelmed. I had to change to guarantee my survival but…” She bit her lower lip and looked at the ground, it was clear that the girl did not wish to continue but Ruvik always got his answers.

“Continue,” he said tersely. She looked up at him with her big, green eyes. A darkness seemed to have entered into their depths.

“I am afraid…I am afraid that I have lost myself in my attempt to maintain my sanity. I used to be patient, understanding, and eager to help others,” she shook her head slightly, as though in disbelief. “I am selfish now and have a very low tolerance for stupidity and unexpected annoyances.” She sounded defeated, small. He squinted his eyes inquisitively at her.

“Were you not trying to help that woman when I first encountered you?” He inquired. She dipped her head in affirmation.

“Yes, but if I had ignored someone who was blatantly in trouble then wouldn’t that make me a monster?” she asked, her brow wrinkling in consideration. “Then again, I purposely put a man’s life in danger.”

“Jimenez is not a man. He is filth.” He spat out angrily. She smiled slightly at his words. 

“That is very true.” He lowered himself to her eye level. He wanted to be close to her face to see her expression when he asked his next question. He hoped it would perturb her.

“You told the detective that you would allow no one to ‘actively endanger your life’,” he gave her a sideways smile that held a hint of cruelty. “I have done this to you on several occasions now and I have yet to incur such wrath.” To his disappointment, she gave him a thoughtful smirk instead of the disconcerted expression he had wanted.

“Of course not, I am not that stupid. You obviously have God like powers that are, unfortunately, beyond my comprehension. Besides, you have made it abundantly clear that you are by no means an ally. I can’t get angry at someone who has told me from the beginning that they intend to make my life a living hell. A person pretending to be an ally on the other hand.” She gave him a dark look. “That is a different story.” Her last words sent a thrill through him. He could not deny that she was an interesting specimen. She was discerning, resolute, and seemed to possess above average intelligence. She had also managed to physically assault Jimenez on two occasions which was very pleasant for him to experience. There was something off putting about what she had previously said, though. She had mentioned that the undead had proven to be quite the distraction. He had not taken that into consideration. That annoyed him greatly. He would have to find out more about her ability. First, he still had to ascertain whether or not she was a fraud.

“Why do you care so much about my temper?” She asked him suddenly, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. For the second time this girl had surprised him. It was becoming a nuisance. In truth, he did not know why he had questioned her about her temper. There were much more pertinent questions he could have asked her. Should have asked her. So why didn’t he? He had the disturbing feeling that it had something to do with the fact that he enjoyed her fury. But that was not something he wished to ponder any further.

“I found it an interesting aspect of your personality. I wished to know more about it, and now I do.” He said in a cold, clipped tone. She looked uneasy at his words but she nodded her head and looked away from him. She once again examined the room she was in. He decided it was prudent to turn their conversation to relevant matters. Time was of the essence, after all. “You have yet to prove to me that you are a telepath, Miss Burke.” When her eyes found her book bag in a corner of the room, a light of excitement danced in their depths. Her wandering attention annoyed him. He was not one to be ignored. 

“You have yet to find a reasonable way for me to prove it to you.” She said in a nonchalant voice. His brow furrowed in anger, she had taken her impudence too far. He transported himself in front of her and grabbed her chin roughly between two of his fingers, fear quickly seeped into her eyes. Good. The sheep should always fear the wolf.

“You will look at me when I am addressing you, do you understand?” He said in a heated voice. She tried to nod but she couldn’t due to his powerful grip on her chin.

“Y-yes, I understand,” she said in a small voice. He gave her a sadistic smile.

“That’s a good girl.” He said, releasing her chin and stepping away from her. “I saw the MRI and EEG scans of your brain. There was nothing abnormal. If you did indeed have the ability to speak with the dead then there should be a variance from a normal person’s brain. Yet there is nothing.”

“I know,” she said sheepishly. “You are not the first person to point that out. There is a theory that I have but I have been too afraid to admit it to myself, nonetheless others.” A sadness seemed to overtake her. He looked at her unblinkingly as she spoke, taking in every word. Even the smallest fluctuation of a syllable could have a deeper meaning.

“And what is this theory?”

“That the problem is not with my brain,” she paused briefly. “It’s with my soul.” He let out a low, mocking laugh.

“There is no such thing,” he said contemptuously. She gave him an odd look. He thought it might be pity but that was a ridiculous notion.

“Of course there is. I see people’s souls all the time.” She looked away briefly and let out a small laugh before returning her gaze to his. “Or at least I used to see them all the time. I honestly don’t know which is worse. This place with zombies that can hurt me but can’t talk or the real world where the dead can’t hurt me but can certainly talk up a storm.” She gave him a sad smile. “I guess I just can’t win.” He still did not know if she were a real psychic or not, but it was clear she certainly believed that she was one.

“And what do you think is wrong with your soul to cause such a phenomenon, Miss Burke?”

“Easy, I died and I wasn’t supposed to come back.” His eyes widened at her declaration. Her files had made no mention of a near death experience.

“How is this the first time I am hearing of this?” He asked angrily, he did not like to have information withheld from him. “Surely, one of your previous doctors would have made note of this in your case study?” She gave him a guilty look and rubbed her arms absentmindedly.

“That’s because I didn’t tell any of them.” He narrowed his eyes.

“Why would you do something so foolish?”

“Because what happened was even more astounding than my ability to hear the dead.” Her words peaked his curiosity. What an interesting development.

“And what is that?” He urged in his low, hoarse voice.

“Someone who was already dead brought me back to life.” He felt a brief moment of excitement rush through him. What a delightful turn of events. Could it possibly be true? Before he could continue his questioning, a feeling of alarm entered into his brain. Someone was doing something that they weren’t supposed to.

“Unfortunately, I must leave you for the moment. There is something that needs my immediate attention. I recommend you use this space to good use but I wouldn’t stay here for any great length of time. If you remain here longer than necessary, you could end up trapped here.” Her eyebrows rose in astonishment.

“What do you mean?” She asked nervously.

“Think of this place as a terminal. A resting point or middle ground between both of our brains. Remaining here too long could severe the link from both of our minds, leaving your consciousness stranded with nowhere to go. You will be trapped within this limbo forever. It has already happened once.”

“Wait, how could we be between both of our minds? I don’t understand.” He smiled at her and tilted his head towards her book bag. 

“Perhaps some reading would do you some good, Miss Burke.” He disappeared.

X X Sophie’s Point of View X X

Sophie scurried off of the bed and grabbed the book bag. She tore it open and dumped the contents on the floor. There were numerous manila folders and a couple of notepads and books. Sophie glanced through the folders until she found her name. The folder was rather small compared to some of the others but she guessed it was understandable since her and Jimenez had yet to work together one on one. She opened it greedily and scanned through the pages. Most of it was things that she had already seen or was of irrelevance; brain scans, doctor’s and priest’s summaries of her condition and possible ways to fix it, medication lists, and private doctor notes which mainly talked about their fear of her. There was nothing useful. She threw it to the side in a huff. That was anticlimactic. She looked at the books and discovered that one of them was actually a journal. She picked it up with shaking hands. This was it. She just knew it. She slowly opened the journal and flipped toward the more recent entries. Her name appearing on one of the pages caught her attention and she read.

Journal Entry 639, April 15  
Today I received a letter from Miss Sophie Burke, the girl that Ruvik had expressed interest in. I had done as he asked and sent a letter of interest to her current physician, a Dr. Mayer, and it appears that he has indeed steered Miss Burke’s interest in our direction. When I asked Ruvik about his interest in the girl he said that he wished to study the mind of a supposed medium or, at the very least, someone under the impression that they are one. I do not believe him. I have noticed his selection in subjects as of late: Miss Burke, Mr. Rankin, and my patient, Leslie Withers. He is going after people with unique abilities. STEM must be complete, despite his continued insistence that it is not yet ready. I must act quickly. Ruvik has become unpredictable and unstable as of late. Especially ever since Leslie came back from his session in STEM semi-intact. I will have to contact Them to get their permission to proceed. I will still contact Miss Burke in order to bring her to Beacon Mental Hospital. I am certain that attaining her ability would please Them.

Sophie looked up from the journal in confusion. How could they attain her ability? And what the hell was STEM? She flipped through the journal for a few minutes until she found a promising earlier entry.

Journal Entry 502, January 3  
Today was another failure with STEM. This was Ruvik’s first attempt at using the machine with two normal civilians but the result was the same as when the insane were used; their cognizance fused together until there was nothing of their individual conscious remaining. Ruvik alone seems to be immune from this phenomenon. This has done nothing to defuse his overly large ego. He sees himself as a God and the rest of us as mere puppets for his amusement. I had had such high hopes for this experiment. I thought for certain that people of sound mind would have been strong enough to keep their individualism. I admit that I feel guilty to have stolen the lives of two ordinary, innocent people. I must make sure that their deaths meant something.

So that’s what STEM was! It was a machine that linked people’s minds together! That was where they must be, inside of STEM. It was very disconcerting that no one besides Ruvik seemed to be able to maintain their consciousness while in the machine. She hoped they were able to work out that particular kink. Then again, they must have. Ruvik had said that there were beings who were still independent him. She flipped ahead a few pages.

Journal Entry 527, February 29  
Success! A patient, Leslie Withers, has successfully been connected to Ruvik and STEM and has managed to return. Just as Ruvik predicted. Unfortunately, the patient seems to have lost a bit more of his mind while under. He now babbles more and constantly repeats himself. His ability to form complex sentences appears to be lost. Nonetheless, this is the first glimmer of hope that STEM has given us. They will be pleased by our progress.

Out of curiosity, Sophie glanced through the folders until she found what she was looking for: Leslie’s folder. The first page revealed him to be twenty five years old. She never would have guess him to be that old. He looked like a teenager still. She read on to find out that he had been abandoned as a child and that he had displayed unique abilities such as precognition and emulating others. She returned her attention back to the journal and returned to the later entries.

Journal Entry 642, April 30  
We have done it! We have successfully removed Ruvik’s brain and have integrated it into STEM. Unfortunately, we have to act quickly in order to integrate Mr. Rankin into Ruvik’s mind. Preferably, we would have tested other, less valuable people, first but time is running short. Mr. Rankin’s health is failing fast. They have made it very clear that They will be grievously upset if he should die without his abilities being kept intact within STEM. I will need a small miracle for the transition to work.

Sophie felt a bit nauseous. They removed Ruvik’s brain from his body and made it a part of STEM? She shivered at the thought of it. Once again she returned her attention to the manila folders until she found Mr. Rankin’s. His paperwork revealed him to be an eighty two year old man who suffered from a litany of health issues: cataracts, strokes, liver disease, and lung cancer. It was nothing short of miraculous that he lived as long as he did. What was really interesting was the abilities that he possessed: telekinesis and astral projection. Sophie had a cold realization. Did Ruvik figure out how to combine these abilities? Is that how he was able to move about the hospital in the real world? That thought was a frightening one. If she was right, Ruvik was far stronger and intelligent than she could have possibly imagined. She quickly returned her attention to the journal and skimmed through the pages. From what she could gather, Mr. Rankin had died during his connection with STEM after ten days. To Jimenez’s good fortune, altered brain wavelengths within Ruvik’s own mind seemed to indicate that the experiment had been a success. Jimenez’s superiors, the elusive They, were pleased with the results and wanted Leslie to be integrated immediately. They seemed to believe that Leslie’s knack for emulation would make it easier for others to integrate with Ruvik. That would explain why Jimenez was so determined to keep Leslie away from Ruvik. If Ruvik were able to integrate easily with people than his power could grow exponentially. He could have people’s memories, thoughts, and emotions much quicker than before. That was no good for her if he was intent on having her ability to speak with the dead. It was also unfortunate that it appeared acquiring such abilities meant death for the original host. Sophie came to the final journal entry and she couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of surprise. 

Journal Entry 664, May 17  
I saw Ruvik. I know it was him. They do not believe me, they think that I’ve either gone senile or am overworked. They are wrong. I do not know how he did it. It must have been something to do with his connection to Mr. Rankin. They want me to connect Leslie with Ruvik once more so that he can absorb his abilities, I expressed my reluctance to do so. They made it clear that I have no choice in the matter but I have to find a way to stop the procedure. It does not help that Miss Burke is expected to arrive within the week and They will doubtlessly want me to connect her shortly after Leslie. Thankfully, a power outage has enveloped the entire city. I can only hope it lasts a few days to buy me some time until I can figure out what to do. They also revealed to me that they would like to connect their leader to STEM in order to absorb all of the abilities that Ruvik is expected to take in. I warned them that Ruvik is extremely powerful but they seem confidant in their leader’s ability to overpower Ruvik. On the bright side, if They are right, it would mean the end of Ruvik. How I have longed for such a day.

Sophie highly doubted that Ruvik knew about this. It was nice knowing something that he didn’t. She had to figure out a way to use this to her advantage. She had to be smart about this. She started to collect the materials and put them back into her bag. She had just taken in a lot of information and needed some time to process everything that she had learned. As she was putting the last of the files in the bag something caught her eye, another journal. This journal was older and had a distinctive feminine binding. What was this doing in here? She opened up the cover to the first page. Who was Laura Victoriano?


	8. Chapter 8

Sophie gently opened the door to the hospital room and peered into the corridor. Ruvik had said that this place was some sort of resting point between their minds. Did that also mean it was safe? She opened the door a bit more to get a better view but the old hinges creaked loudly through the empty hallway. Why did all doors seem to hate her life recently? Well, there goes any attempt at being subtle. She let out a defeated sigh and opened up the door the rest of the way and stepped out into the hallway.

“I have been expecting you,” a monotone female voice said to her left. Sophie let out a yip of surprise and jumped away from the unexpected voice. She grabbed her chest, willing her heart to slow its rapid beating. She quickly peered around the door and looked the woman over. She appeared to be a nurse and, miraculously, completely sane. Then again, appearances could be misleading.

“Y-you scared me.” Sophie stuttered out, slightly out of breath from the shock. The woman gave her a coy smile.

“I apologize, that was not my intention.” She turned away from Sophie and started to walk down the hallway. Sophie was a bit taken aback by her sudden departure but she decided to follow her. Sophie needed some answers, after all.

“Wait, what is this place exactly? Who are you?” The woman glanced over her shoulder to Sophie and gave her the same demure smile.

“You know what this place is. You should hurry to the lockers. You are running out of time.” Lockers? What lockers? More importantly, how much time did she have left? Ruvik had said her mind could become imprisoned in here. That did not sound like a pleasant prospect. He had also said…wait a minute.

“Are you the person that Ruvik told me about? The one who got trapped here?” The woman did not respond to her question. Why did everyone have to be so mysterious? This whole keeping things to oneself was really starting to grate on her nerves. They entered into what looked like an ordinary waiting room. The woman went behind the check in desk to a door tucked away in a corner.

“You must follow me this way. You do have a key, don’t you?” The woman inquired in her aloof voice. A key? Wait, she did have a key! She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small object she had cut out of the man’s chest. So this is where it belonged. That must mean Sebastian had been here. He had asked her if she had ‘been to that place’ after she had presented the key to him, after all. 

They went through the back door and entered into another seemingly normal area. There were some computers, charts, and other typical hospital paraphernalia. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a nice change of pace in comparison to the last few places she had ended up. They rounded a corner to be met with a series of metal lockers.

“You may choose one and keep the object you find inside.” The mysterious woman told her. She looked down at the key and then at the multiple lockers.

“Why can’t I just open all of them and take whatever I want.” Sophie questioned, giving the woman a teasing smile. She did not appear to share Sophie’s mirth because she gave her a very stern look.

“That is not how this works.” Sophie shrugged her shoulders.

“Fine, I’ll do things your way.” She walked into the locker area and looked at all of the compartments. There were so many of them. Which one should she choose? She noticed that a few of them were already opened. It must have been Sebastian. Sophie decided to just pick a locker at random. It’s not like standing around staring at these lumps of metal would suddenly reveal which ones had something useful inside. She pushed the key into the lock and a satisfying click announced the freeing of the mechanism. The door swung open, seemingly on its own. Sophie found herself thrilled at the prospect of what was inside. Could it be a weapon? Zombie deterrent spray? A pack of gum? Her excitement died a swift and brutal death when she saw what was really in the locker: green slime. She picked up the large jar and gave the object a confused look. 

“Oh, yes, I am certain this jar of snot will be of great benefit when a zombie is trying to eat my face.” She said in a mocking, grave voice.

“You have made a good choice.” The woman said, sounding legitimately pleased with her selection. Sophie gave the woman a doubtful look and noticed for the first time that she wore a name tag, ‘Tatiana’. So that was her name.

“Ok, Tatiana, how exactly is this,” she raised the jar into the air for the woman’s inspection. “Supposed to help me.” She gave Sophie another one of her smiles and turned around to leave.

“Right this way.” Once again Sophie and this woman played follow the leader. They walked back out into the room and something caught her attention that she hadn’t seen before: a large metal door. Tatiana opened the heavy object and ushered Sophie through. Sophie walked through the doorway cautiously and looked from side to side. To her right she saw the waiting room that they had walked through a few minutes earlier. To her left was a rather imposing metal chair. It had steel restraints to keep the person immobile and a long needle near the headrest which was clearly meant to penetrate the person’s brain stem. 

“You may sit in the chair in order to undergo the advancements. The amount of green gel you possess will determine the quantity and quality of improvements you may undertake.” Sophie let out a loud and insincere laugh at the nurse’s words.

“Oh, Tatiana. It’s nice to know that even when trapped in limbo one can still retain their humor.” Tatiana gave her an unamused look.

“It would be to your benefit to get in the chair.” Sophie looked once again at the chair and shook her head.

“I think not.” Tatiana gave her a frown and walked away in what can only be described as a sensual huff.

“Fine, but you will come to regret it.” Sophie highly doubted that. She stood there for a minute, examining the contraption before her. Something was fishy about this. It had Ruvik written all over it. What did Tatiana mean by advancements? What could shoving a needle into one’s brain do to possibly improve a human being? Did it make them smarter, more focused, teach them a new language? Sophie had a theory about the real purpose of this device but she needed to talk to Sebs or Ruvik again in order to confirm her suspicions. Preferably Sebs.

Sophie turned away from the medieval looking torture device and made her way back out to the waiting room. She needed to find a way out of here. Spending eternity with Tatiana did not seem like an enjoyable possibility. As she was walking, a shining light caught her eye. She turned her head to see a mirror with a large glowing crack. For some reason she was drawn to the light. It made her feel so…safe. As she stepped toward it the crack grew in size and Sophie could have sworn she heard music. It was beautiful and soothing. The light drew her in, mesmerizing her. Consuming her.

“Sophie? Sophie, you need to wake up. Please, wake up for me.” Wait, she knew that voice. James? She tried to turn her head away to look for him but the call of the light was too strong. It soon blinded her and she momentarily felt lighter than air. Shortly after, the light slowly dimmed into nothingness and Sophie found herself standing in a derelict supply room. She had to get back to that place as soon as possible. She had to find James. But how?

X X Ruvik’s POV X X 

Ruvik was displeased at ending his session with the girl early. She had been explaining something charmingly intriguing. The dead resurrecting the living? The prospects of such a phenomenon sent his mind reeling in a million different directions. Once he figured out what was wrong he could correct the interruption and return to the medium to continue his interrogation. It had not escaped his notice that he spent an inordinate amount of time with the girl. He frowned at the unwanted thought. No, the time he spent on her was reasonable. She, supposedly, possesses a very unique gift which he wishes to possess. Unlike with Leslie, he did not have the mental groundwork in place to link their minds properly. Besides, everything else was well underway:

Leslie was on the path to the lighthouse at Beacon, the male detective, Sebs, was falling under Ruvik’s influence slowly but surely and the other male detective had been immobile and connected directly to Ruvik’s mind since the beginning. Once he awakened, he would quickly lose his mind to Ruvik’s world. He was of no use to Ruvik. He was too clear headed, too sure of himself. He would only prove himself a nuisance if he wasn’t quickly integrated into Ruvik’s mind. Sebastian on the other hand, he had potential. Ruvik had already had a few promising glimpses into Sebastian’s mind: a drinking problem, a failing career, a missing wife, and a dead daughter. He was a man nearly broken. The perfect clay to be reshaped and molded into what Ruvik desired. As for the other two…their time would soon come. It was clear that the female detective worked for Jimenez’s superiors. He didn’t even need to look into her mind to see that. Acting was not her forte. He would let his creatures toy with Jimenez and the female detective a bit longer. Let them stew in their fear. Be consumed by it until it nearly drove them mad. Then he would deal with them. He was looking forward to that moment. No, everything was going smoothly. It was only logical that he would explore his unexpected gift, the medium’s abilities, for as long as he could with the time he had.

He walked down the dilapidated hospital wing looking for what called his attention to this area. The sound of running footsteps and gunshots ahead caught his attention. Sure enough, the male detective ran past Ruvik in a perpendicular hallway, closely followed by the multi-armed monster that was his sister. In truth, he was not overly fond of the creature that bore his sister’s appearance. In many ways it felt like a mockery to her gentle personality, to his fond memory of her. Nonetheless, he allowed it to remain. In a strange way its presence brought him something akin to comfort, but not quite. 

He came to the hallway that the detective and his sister just ran down. They had already disappeared around a corner into a different hallway. He stood there for a moment and looked into the direction where they had come from. There was an entryway into the safe zone not too far away from here. That is why the Laura creature summoned him here. He had sent out a mental message to all of the creatures that no one was to enter into the safe zone. He wanted his time with the girl to be undisturbed by unwanted visitors. He also wanted to keep her isolated from the others, especially Sebastian. They gave each other hope and companionship, the complete opposite feelings that he wanted to foster in them. 

The slamming of a gate and the aggravated screams of the Laura creature signaled the escape of the male detective from her deadly clutches. It was of no consequence. Laura had been successful in keeping him away from the safe zone entry. That would give Sophie a bit of time to explore the contents of Jimenez’s suitcase. He felt that she earned such a reward after once again physically assaulting Jimenez. 

He was about to leave when a brilliant thought came to him. What a delightful idea. He transported himself to where Sebastian was, on a cylindrical winding staircase. Ruvik had positioned himself further down the stairwell in order to force the detective back in the opposite direction, where there was no escape. Ruvik wanted him to feel trapped like the weak animal that he was. When the detective caught sight of Ruvik he let out a curse and started to run away, just as Ruvik had planned. Ruvik leisurely followed him, sporadically transporting himself further up the stairs. Once the detective reached the top, he ran around the landing in a panic. What will you do now Sebs? When Ruvik was near the top, the detective pulled out his gun and aimed it at him. Ruvik smiled at his ignorance. Did he really think that mere bullets could harm him here? It was of no matter. Ruvik once again transported himself, this time taking the stairwell with him. The detective went flying through the empty void, eventually roughly hitting the ground of a completely different section of the hospital. Ruvik had purposely put the detective near the other male detective, the one who was immobile. Ruvik was looking forward to watching Sebastian witness the downfall of his partner’s sanity. The other detective would quickly succumb to Ruvik’s world and become one of his mindless creatures. Would seeing his friend give in to the darkness be the thing that finally breaks Sebastian? Ruvik certainly hoped so. Few things were as pleasing as watching a man’s entire being and self-worth shatter into nothing. Oh yes, he was looking forward to that indeed.


	9. Chapter 9

Sophie ran down the hallway as fast as she could. Closed doorways flew past her line of sight. She wished that she could stop and test the doors but she had no time. She could still hear the heavy breaths of the zombie right on her heels. If she faltered even the slightest she would die. Every now and then she could feel a rush of air on the back of her neck as the zombie swung its knife at her. So close. He was so close. Up ahead she finally saw what she had desperately been searching for: an open door. She let out a shaky laugh of relief and willed her legs to move a bit faster. As the door came into reaching distance she lunged through the opening and pushed against the wooden surface with all of her strength. Unfortunately, the creature on the opposite side was savagely beating against the door. Sophie felt her feet begin to slowly slide as the creature’s strength started to overwhelm her own. In one last bid of desperation, Sophie slammed her body against the door as hard as she could. Luck must have been on her side because the click of the door closing filled her ears. She collapsed onto the floor and sucked in large breaths of air. That was way too close.

When she had first been transported to the supply room she had searched the area for a glowing mirror to bring her back to that place. To bring her back to James’ voice. Her efforts had proven fruitless. To make matters worse, the only things she found in the room were bullets and more of the slime. All things completely useless to her. She put the bullets into her bag in case she came across Sebs again but she left all of the slime there, including the one she had gotten from the safe zone. Unfortunately for her, the useless supply room would be the highlight of her little adventure since she left Tatiana. Soon after leaving the supply room, she encountered a strange man in a mask carrying a gun. He let off a shot at her but thankfully he missed. She found a hiding place inside of a small locker but she got trapped in there for ten minutes as he searched for her. When she was finally able to leave the cramped enclosure her long legs had gone numb. She then took off limping to only be attacked by another one of those invisible creatures with a tentacle face. She was able to break free but he had scratched up her throat and face pretty bad. She was able to walk around for a good fifteen minutes without incident when the zombie with the knife turned the corner of the hallway ahead of her, chasing after her. But she had gotten away. She was safe, at least for now.

Sophie put her arm on the ground to lift herself up but a shooting pain halted her movements. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the cause of her anguish: a large cut on her arm. The creature had gotten her. The adrenaline must have dulled the pain during the terrifying encounter but now that she was safe, the pain was coming through with a vengeance. Slamming her arm against the door probably didn’t help matters either. Sophie opened up her book bag in order to take out the medical supplies and treat her wound. As she poured alcohol over the cut she couldn’t help but let out a cry of pain. This must have excited the creature because he started to howl and pound against the door with a newfound ferocity. She glanced up at the shaking door, stained with her blood, and noticed that it didn’t have a lock. She didn’t think the creature knew how to open doorknobs but the lack of a lock still made her uneasy. Besides, the masked man seemed more refined then the zombies she had previously encountered. She had a bad feeling that he did indeed know how to open a door. Fear once again taking hold, she quickly wrapped up her arm and threw everything back into her bag. She gingerly lifted herself up from the floor, trying to avoid putting too much weight on her injured arm. She was about to walk toward the back door but the undeniable sound of running footsteps from behind the closed surface gave her pause. Something was coming, and fast. She desperately looked around the room for a place to hide. The only place though was a row of cabinets near the ground. Without a second thought she dove toward the small doors and threw them open. She moved around the glass beakers and squeezed her body into the small enclosure, shutting the doors to the best of her ability. A small opening allowed her to see the door where the zombie still attempted to enter. From the opposite side of the room, Sophie heard the back door open and footsteps entering the room. She idly wondered if they could hear her rapidly beating heart but brushed the ridiculous thought away.

“Hello? Where are you?” Sophie’s ears perked up at the sound of the female’s voice, relief flooding through her. The female detective had finally made an appearance. Before she could signal her whereabouts a disturbing new sound echoed throughout the space. Someone was trying to kick the door down! Sophie watched in horror as the door splintered and cracked, finally bursting open from the immense force. As Sophie had feared, the man in the mask had shown up. Although, he hadn’t opened up the door like she had thought he would. The two creatures came running into the room but they only made it a few steps before they fell suddenly to the floor, blood splaying from the back of their heads. The female detective was a good shot. Sophie watched as the detective came into view, standing over the creatures to make sure they were dead.

“You can come out now, psychic” she said in a low, even voice. Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise. How did she know she was in there? She opened the cupboard and rolled gracelessly from her hiding place. She stood up to face the detective, a smile on her face.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Things have been crazy! But how did you know about me?” The woman did not return Sophie’s smile. She just stared at her blankly, making Sophie feel like a fool.

“I heard you cry out in pain from this room.” Sophie gave an embarrassed smile and showed the detective her arm. 

“Yeah, unfortunately that zombie got me in the arm and I couldn’t help but cry out when I was treating it. Alcohol stings like a bitch.”

“Have you seen anyone else?”

“I was with Sebastian, Jimenez, and Leslie a while ago but we got separated by Ruvik. Wait, do you even know who Ruvik is?” The thought of actually knowing something in this world that she could explain to someone was thrilling. 

“I know of him. So you don’t know anyone’s whereabouts?” Sophie couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the woman’s declaration. It seemed like everyone but her had a pretty firm grasp of this place.

“Are you injured anywhere else?” The detective asked, giving a significant look to Sophie’s scratched up face and neck. Sophie shook her head. Sure, she had a few scrapes and bruises but nothing of great concern. “How about weapons?” Sophie shook her head again. It felt like this woman was speaking down to her. As though Sophie were a child. Yet another person in this place with an uppity attitude. To Sophie’s surprise, the woman pulled out a gun and handed it to her.

“I don’t know how to use this.” The woman gave her an exasperated look. Sophie knew the basic concept, of course: point and shoot but other things such as reloading and how to get the bullet into the shaft eluded her. The female gave Sophie a quick rundown on how to properly use the gun and made Sophie demonstrate for her until she was satisfied. It was actually very simple, she just hoped that aiming would be as simple. 

“I cleared out a section of the hallway ahead but there is no telling if it is still safe. I must ask you to remain silent as we move so as not to attract any unwanted attention.” Sophie frowned at the woman’s words. This was going to be a long journey with this woman constantly berating her the entire time.

“Listen. I don’t know who you are but if you don’t stop talking down to me we’re going to have problems.” The woman squinted her eyes at Sophie condescendingly.

“I am Detective Kidman and you are going to do what I say when I say to do it if you want to remain alive. It is my job to get you to safety and I won’t let anyone, including you, get in the way of that. Now you are going to follow me and you are going to do it silently.” The detective went out the back door then, leaving Sophie astonished and angry. This woman’s social graces were severely lacking. She hoped they ran into someone else soon so she wouldn’t have to be alone with her for too long. Even Ruvik would be a welcomed sight. Which was a disturbing thought.

Sophie followed after the woman, putting a decent distance between them. She didn’t want to be any closer than necessary to such an unpleasant person. After about thirty minutes of awkward silence, they came upon a large pair of swinging doors. The detective pushed through them, her gun drawn and scanned the room for any trouble. Sophie had her gun ready as well but she didn’t think anything would be in the room. There had been a noticeable lack of any zombies or creatures since they left the room. The detective had said she cleared some of the way ahead but she couldn’t have cleared this much of the building. Besides, they had stopped seeing dead bodies after one minute into their little walk.

The detective took a few steps further into the large room, scanning the upper balcony section but nothing appeared. The detective let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her gun, putting it back into its holster. Sophie lowered her gun as well but she had nowhere to put it so she kept it in her hand.

“This isn’t right. We should have run into something by now.” The detective said in an angry voice.

“I personally prefer no zombies over a horde of zombies,” Sophie said, making the woman glare at her once more. Sophie actually agreed with Kidman that something was amiss but she didn’t want to let her know that.

“What do you think this is?” The detective asked, walking toward a large glass enclosure in the center of the room. 

“It’s an archaic form of treatment that they used to use in hospitals. They believed that submerging subjects in freezing water would cure them of their mental illness. I think this one was supposed to also instill fear. Make them believe that they were about to drown. Nothing like a large dose of cold water and fear to clear the head” The detective reached the large glass door of the enclosure and opened it, peering inside. 

“What a cruel thing to do to a person.”

“Agreed, but I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to drop your weapon and get into the box.” Sophie said, cocking her gun and pointing it at Kidman’s back. Kidman’s whole boy froze at her words.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” the detective said, slowly reaching toward her gun.

“I know that if you make any sudden moves with that gun I’ll shoot you in the back. From this distance I highly doubt I’ll miss” The detective took her gun out of its holster and placed it on the ground. “Now get in there.” The detective did as she was told, and stepped into the glass enclosure. Sophie quickly stepped forward and closed the door, locking it into place.

“Why are you doing this?” Sophie took a few steps back and gave the detective a considering look.

“Earlier when I asked you how you knew about me I believe that you misunderstood the question.”

“What are you talking about? You’re acting foolish. Let me out.” Sophie disregarded Kidman’s words and started to pace in front of the box.

“You see, I wasn’t asking how you knew a person was in the room. I knew you must have heard me cry out in pain. No, what I was asking was how you knew it was me specifically in the room. You called me ‘psychic’ earlier even though I never told you about my abilities.” The detective noticeably paled at Sophie’s words.

“I heard Jimenez say it back in the ambulance.” Kidman said in an annoyed voice.

“I was in that ambulance too, remember, and my abilities didn’t come up. Let’s try this again, shall we?” Sophie stepped forward to a lever on the box and pulled. Water started to pour into the base of the box, Kidman looked at her feet in panic. Just as Sophie had hoped, this lever controlled the water intake. “Now how did you know?!”

“You’re insane! Let me out!” Kidman screamed, banging her fists against the glass wall. Sophie pulled the lever back up, stopping the flow of the water.

“I am not crazy, I am just sick and tired of people playing games with me. Now answer my question.”

“I told you already, Jimenez said it in the ambulance.” Sophie let out an exaggerated sigh and pulled the lever down once more. 

“How about I tell you my theory. I think you work for the same shady organization that Jimenez works for and that’s how you know about my abilities. Jimenez warned me that someone else on the ambulance could work for Them and it appears I found that person.” The water was up to Kidman’s ankles now. There was an interesting mixture of defiance and fear in Kidman’s eyes.

“What else did Jimenez tell you?” The detective asked in a quipped voice. Pleased with the indirect admission, Sophie stopped the water once more.

“I know quite a bit actually. I know that we’re inside of Ruvik’s mind right now, that your organization wants to get Ruvik to absorb supernatural abilities and then transfer them to your leader, and that any powers Ruvik gets will kill the original host. Did I leave anything out?” Kidman noticeable ground her teeth in frustration. Sophie couldn’t help but smile, “I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then.”

“You seem to have everything figured out so why put me in here.” 

“There are a few things which I still don’t know. First off, does your organization know that I am here.” Kidman paused before answering. Probably deciding whether or not to cooperate.

“No, we only know what Jimenez tells us so we weren’t expecting you for a few more days either.” Sophie was relieved, if they didn’t know she was here then she could have a few days to get into hiding before they suspected anything.

“What’s the name of the organization that you work for?” Kidman laughed.

“I will not be answering that.” Sophie shrugged.

“It’s no matter, I can find that out once I leave this place. Ghosts are everywhere and they’re all eager to talk to me.” Sophie took a step forward and placed her hand on the lever, the threat clear in her eyes. “Now this is the most important question. Are you going to come after me once we escape Ruvik’s mind?” Kidman looked away from Sophie, mulling the question over. After a few moments of tense silence Kidman returned her gaze to Sophie’s.

“I see no harm in giving you a few days head start.” Sophie gave Kidman a sad look.

“You’re a terrible liar, Kidman.” Sophie pulled down the lever and turned around to leave. Kidman once again pounded against the glass.

“So you’re going to kill me? You’re not a killer, Sophie. I am sorry, but I have a job to do and that job is to make sure your powers can be absorbed by Ruvik.” Sophie turned around in anger, eyes blazing in fury.

“Doing so will kill me! What right do you have to do such a thing?”

“You have no idea what They are capable of. It would just be easier for you to give in. No matter what you do or where you hide we will find you.” Sophie gave the detective a dark look.

“You have misspoken detective, you said ‘we’ but you will not be getting out of that box.”

“Please, please don’t do this, Sophie. Please be better than me. I am sorry about what I have to do to you but if I don’t do it then they’d kill me.” Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise. Kidman wasn’t lying about that, she could tell, They’d actually kill her.

“I am sorry, but I have to do what I can to survive.” Sophie pushed the lever back up, stopping the water. Kidman looked at her in surprise. “Which means I won’t be letting you out of that box but I am not going to drown you either. I am not a monster."” Kidman nodded her head in understanding.

“Let me give you a piece of advice then. Kill Leslie.” Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Why should I kill Leslie? He’s just some insane kid.” Sophie asked in disbelief.

“Yes, Leslie is insane but Ruvik can enter his mind.”

“Well, yeah, wasn’t that the whole point of connecting Leslie to Ruvik in the first place?”

“No, Ruvik is to absorb Leslie’s abilities not enter into his body. If he does that then he can return to the real world. If he hasn’t absorbed your abilities by that time then he will hunt you down until he does. Then you will have Ruvik and the organization hunting after you.” Sophie furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Wait, if Ruvik could escape through Leslie’s body then why were you planning to connect him again?”

“We could take steps to prevent such a thing if we were in control of the procedure. Unfortunately, we weren’t counting on Ruvik being able to project himself into the real world again. If you want to increase your chances of surviving then you must kill Leslie.” Sophie shook her head.

“No, I can’t. He’s too innocent. I would never be able to live with myself.” Kidman slammed her fist against the glass.

“You’re a fool!” The detective yelled. Suddenly, Kidman let out a gasp and backed herself against the opposite side of the box, fear clear in her eyes. Sophie was about to ask her what was wrong when a burned hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the lever. 

“And you’re dead.” Ruvik said in his deep voice. Sophie watched in horror as Ruvik pulled the lever down and then made it disappear. Before she could protest, Sophie felt Ruvik grab onto her shoulder and they disappeared. A moment later, Sophie found herself standing in a large, lavish bedroom. She whirled around to face Ruvik.

“Who do you think you are? I needed her! How am I going to get the ghosts to infiltrate Them when she’s the only person I know who’s directly connected to that organization!” Sophie yelled, taking a step forward and looking directly into Ruvik’s eyes. “It would also be highly beneficial to have someone connected to that organization who felt like I spared their life. Now bring me back there so that I can save that horrible woman!” Ruvik grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, almost to the point of pain.

“What a clever girl you are,” he said before bending down, kissing Sophie roughly on the mouth.


	10. Chapter 10

She wasn’t here. Ruvik had searched the entire mansion but the girl was nowhere to be found. He didn’t think that she would have left, it was safe here. It would be foolish for her to leave. That left him with the only other conclusion: she hadn’t made it to the mansion. He had set-up the mirror transportation to bring her here but if she had fought against the transfer, it could have booted her out in a different location. Of course the girl would do something so troublesome. He closed his eyes in frustration and tried to sense the girl’s whereabouts. Sure enough, one of his masked creatures gave Ruvik his confirmation. Ruvik let out a curse under his breath and transported himself to the area she had been spotted. He had to find her fast. This was one of the more dangerous areas of his realm. That’s why he had placed the female detective here. After a few minutes of transporting himself around the hospital he came upon a promising sight, one of his mindless zombies throwing himself against a door. He walked down the hallway at a leisurely pace. He saw no reason to rush, a bit of fear could do the girl some good. Keep her in line. He heard a cry of pain from behind the door, it was short lived but loud. Ruvik didn’t sense any of his creatures in the room so he doubted that she was under attack. The medium’s cry of pain had enthused the zombie, giving his attempts to break into the room a new fervor. Suddenly, from the hallway behind the zombie, a masked creature appeared and started to kick at the door. Ruvik smirked at the arrival. With two of them beating at the door, they were certain to enter. He would stop them before they could harm the girl but he saw no harm in making her squirm a little.

As the two creatures burst through the door Ruvik prepared to transport himself the rest of the way but the sound of gunshots stopped him. He snarled in anger, the female detective had unwantedly appeared and killed the creatures. He was supposed to kill them. If there was one thing he hated above all else it was for someone to disrupt his plans. He transported himself by the door and listened to their conversation. It was clear the female detective was the complete opposite of the male detective, Sebs: condescending, aloof, sure of herself. She was not breaking down like he had hoped. It was important that she and Jimenez suffered above all the others. They were both responsible for his entrapment. They had to pay for their impudence. Ruvik listened to the medium try to stand up for herself against the detective’s patronizing manner but the detective put her right back down before exiting the room through the back door. The medium must be fuming. He wished that he could see her face. He enjoyed her anger. Unfortunately, now was not the time to reveal himself. He had a plan in the works but he needed some time to set it up. He sent out a mental message to all of the creatures nearby to move to a certain area of the hospital. He couldn’t risk the telepath getting hurt while he was away. Besides, they were an intricate part of his plan. 

He transported himself to a secluded part of the hospital where less savory experiments took place. He soon found what he was looking for: a large glass enclosure where the patient was slowly submerged in water. He had used this contraption quite a few times throughout the years, it was one of his favorites. It was thrilling to see the fear in their eyes as they realized that they had no control, no power over whether they lived or died. That the continuation of their lives depended completely on him. It was thrilling. He touched the cool surface, silently reveling at the familiar touch of the glass beneath his fingertips. He then transported himself, the contraption, and the piping to a large room not too far from the detectives and the medium. He placed the glass box in the center of the room and made the piping fly through the air, twisting, and expanding before connecting to the water pipelines. He couldn’t help but smirk, he had fully regained his power. Now the real fun could begin. 

He had looked into Kidman’s mind and saw that she had a crippling fear of drowning. Thus far she had endured his world fairly well and that was unacceptable. This contraption was certain to change that. To make things even more interesting, the other two detectives were close by as well. There was a chance that they could save her but he wasn’t going to make it an easy feat. He had a swarm of creatures waiting behind the doors of the room, eager for their chance to strike. All the male detectives had to do was fight through a relentless torrent of creatures and then find the secondary shut off valve before the detective drowned. He grinned at his own mischievousness. He only wished that he could watch the chaos unfold but he had to get the telepath to safety so he could question her further. There were a few things that he needed her to clear up for him. Ruvik moved himself to one of the upper balconies and waited for the detective and medium to appear. He didn’t have to wait long. The duo soon entered the room and the detective was immediately drawn to his contraption. He watched the horror dawn in her eyes as the medium described the purpose of the box. The detective reached for the door of the box and looked into her soon to be prison. She was making this too easy.

“What a cruel thing to do to a person.” The detective said in a tone laced with fear. Now was the perfect time to entrap the detective within but the medium raising her gun and pointing it at the detective’s back caught his attention. What was she up to?

“Agreed, but I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to drop your weapon and get into the box.” The medium said in a cold, level voice. It sent a pleasant shiver throughout his entire body. What an enjoyable turn of events. Ruvik listened with fascination as Sophie demanded to know how the detective knew about her abilities. She was a fairly intelligent female. He couldn’t help but admire her for that. A shot of excitement coursed through his veins every time the telepath pulled down the lever, making the water gush in. She was toying with the detective. He smiled at her ruthlessness. The more he discovered about this girl the more she thrilled him. He was pleased to see the look of anger come over the detective’s face when the medium told her everything she knew. It appeared her perusal of Jimenez’s papers had proven beneficial. The medium then questioned the detective, who answered begrudgingly. Things got interesting when the detective did not back down from her determination to entrap the medium within his mind. Such a dutiful little pawn the organization had found. Ruvik thought for certain that the medium was going to leave her there to die but to his disgust she stopped the water once more. Just when he was starting to admire her, she proved herself to be weak. Just like everyone else. He let them speak a bit longer, inwardly hoping that the girl would once again pull down the lever. But the medium proved to be a disappointment. To irritate him even further, the detective warned the girl about Leslie. The less people who knew about his ability to escape through Leslie, the better. Thankfully, the girl was firm in her declaration not to harm the boy. At least in this her unfortunate regard for others’ lives benefited him. 

He grew weary of their back and forth, it bored him. Besides, the other detectives were close by so he and the girl had to leave before they arrived. When the detective declared the medium a fool he took that as a cue for him to intercede. He declared the detective dead and pulled the lever down, starting the water once more. He made the lever disappear into nothingness, not wanting to make it easy for the male detectives to save this female. He then grabbed a hold of the telepath and transported her to a room in the mansion, where she was supposed to have gone in the first place. 

He was slightly taken aback when the girl turned on him in anger. He had not expected her to be so heated about potentially killing the detective, especially when she had originally planned to kill her herself. 

“Who do you think you are? I needed her! How am I going to get the ghosts to infiltrate Them when she’s the only person I know who’s directly connected to that organization!” She said in a heated fury. The thrill from before once again pumped through his veins. She was a vision when she was enraged. “It would also be highly beneficial to have someone connected to that organization who felt like I spared their life. Now bring me back there so that I can save that horrible woman!” So that was why she had spared the detective’s life. How manipulative and shrewd of her. He shouldn’t have doubted her. She had proven herself more than willing to do whatever it takes to survive. He couldn’t help himself. He grabbed her chin and lifted it forcefully to his face.

“What a clever girl you are,” he said, his voice heavy from desire. He bent down the few inches to her delectable mouth and placed his scarred lips over her soft ones. He felt her body stiffen from the shock. Not wanting for her to back away from him, he placed one hand at the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. He moved his other hand from her chin to her hair, entangling his fingers in her thick locks. He deepened the kiss, biting softly on her lower lip and caressing it with his tongue. The girl let out a low moan and opened her mouth to him, dipping her tongue into his mouth and playing with his tongue. He returned the favor with fervor, licking and playing with her tongue and caressing his lips against hers. He let out a low growl and pulled her hips roughly against his, reveling in the friction. He pulled her head back, revealing her neck to him, she let out a small gasp of surprise from the sudden movement. He kissed and licked his way down the expanse of flesh but it wasn’t until he bit down and sucked harshly at the juncture of her throat that she let out a cry of pleasure. So the girl liked it a bit rough. Good. He could accommodate that. He continued his attentions to her neck, drinking in her cries of pleasure. She placed one hand behind his head, urging him to continue his ministrations on her neck while her other hand ran down the bare skin of his chest, her nails scraping against his skin. 

“Ruvik, please…” she beseeched him. He let out a low moan at the sound of his name on her lips in such ecstasy. He grabbed a hold of her shirt and bra and transported it off her body, throwing the clothes onto the floor. He lowered his head to one of her taut nipples and greedily took it into his mouth. “Bite down on it, please, Ruvik, please.” She begged, moving both of her hands to the back of his head, digging her nails into his skin. The pain was exquisite. He obliged her and bit down, she cried out in pleasure. Not being able to take it anymore, Ruvik lifted the girl and dropped her onto the bed. Her eyes were glazed over from desire, her lips red and raw from his kisses. He watched with fascination as her chest rose and fell in rapid secession, her breasts bouncing softly from her intense breathing. She was beautiful and she was his. He stepped toward the edge of the bed, the girl ran her hand down his burned chest, admiration clear in her eyes. Her hand rested at the top of his pants, just above his protruding manhood. She looked into his eyes, silently asking for permission to proceed. He smiled at her eagerness and leaned down to kiss her, tasting her exquisite mouth once more. He pulled back to look into her eyes. 

“Give into me completely. Physically and mentally. I can make you feel things beyond your comprehension if you just give in.” He said huskily, running his right hand down her curves as he caressed her hair with his left. Her breathing became more erratic at his words and ministrations. He moved his hand to her knee and slowly moved it up her inner thigh in lazy circles. Her breath hitched at the sensation. He leaned down, their lips mere inches apart. “Just give me what I want, Sophie. Open up to me. Deny me nothing and I will give you ecstasy in its purest form. Just give in.” He watched in triumph as she tilted her head up to his own. He felt the barest of touches on his lips before she pulled away from him. Her brow was knitted in consternation. 

“No,” she said, shaking her head as though trying to clear her mind. “You’re messing with me aren’t you?” She looked up at his face, studying it intently.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said in as level a tone as he could manage. It was difficult to maintain his cold, aloof persona when all he wanted to do was tear off her clothes and feel her naked form beneath him. She pushed him away from her and stood up from the bed, covering her breasts from his heated gaze. She was really starting to aggravate him.

“This is just like that stupid machine back in the safe zone. That’s how you get into people’s minds, right? The person has to be willing to accept you in. With the machine they have to willing sit in the chair and you promise them heightened senses and abilities and here…” she trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

“You spread your legs and I give you mind altering sensations?” He offered, taking delight in her reddened cheeks at his vulgarity. She moved away from him to pick up her bra and shirt, placing the clothes back onto her body. He grimaced at the disappointing turn of events. He hadn’t counted on her figuring out that he was also trying to gain entry into her mind. What a nuisance. He had lost the opportunity to not only get an intimate look into her mind but also to satiate his ever growing desires. She finished dressing and ran her hands up and down her arms in comfort, refusing to meet his eyes. Her cheeks were still heated from desire and embarrassment. 

“Did you really expect anything less from me?” He asked in a slightly mocking tone. She shook her head.

“No, I guess not.” 

“I must confess I was surprised when you did not try to deny me at the start of our…activities.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Honestly, I thought about it but then I figured this may be my only opportunity to have sex without dead eyes watching me the entire time. Then again, if you and the organization get their way, this may have been my last chance to be intimate ever again. Besides, you’re a very attractive man, even with the burns.” She said, turning her gaze to look into his gray eyes, the heat of desire returning to her green depths. “But, of course, you had to mess it all up by being a manipulative dick. So I guess that opportunity is lost.” 

“For the moment,” he said, giving her a significant look. He noticed a shiver run its way down her body at his words. Perhaps another opportunity to indulge in her body would come sooner rather than later. The thought stirred his desires once more but he quelled the feeling. The chance for intimacy was lost for the moment, it was time to move onto other matters. “It is to your good fortune that I was able to establish a direct link between our minds during our brief intimacy.” Her eyes filled with surprise and a touch of fear at his words.

“How is that to my good fortune, exactly?”

“Now you have the opportunity to potentially save your life.” She perked up at his words.

“How can I do that?”

“You have to show me two memories: the day that you gained your abilities and also a random day from your time as a medium.” She looked reluctant at his request.

“How will this help me?”

“Depending on what you show me, I may decide to spare you.” A determined look overcame her face.

“Fine, what do I have to do?” He transported himself to stand directly in front of her. He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek.

“Close your eyes and think about the day you acquired your abilities. Concentrate on the first thing you remember from that day.” She obliged and closed her eyes. Soon the bedroom began to shift and alter until they were no longer standing in the mansion but the hallway of what looked like an apartment complex. The medium’s clothes had changed as well. Instead of wearing jeans and a shirt, she was now wearing a white sundress. She opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. He knew that she couldn’t see him. He had made it so she was reliving this moment completely. Subconsciously she would guide herself through the motions but overall it was like she was there again. As though all of the events to come had yet to happen. He watched her raise her hand to the door in front of her and give it a few loud knocks. It had begun.


	11. Chapter 11

Sophie looked up and down the brightly lit hallway. Something wasn’t right. The answer was right there, at the edge of her mind, but the more she tried to grasp it the further it went away. Eventually, the feeling completely left her and she shook her head in frustration. She was being stupid. There was no reason for her to feel unsettled, she was just checking up on Molly. She raised her hand and knocked on the door. There was no answer. Sophie let out an aggravated sigh and knocked again on the wooden surface, this time louder and with more fervor. Sophie had texted Molly telling her that she was stopping by, why did she have to make everything so difficult?

“Come on, Molly, I know you’re in there!” Sophie shouted at the door but her sister still refused to acknowledge Sophie’s presence. “You’re being ridiculous. Devon was a no good loser, you’re better off without him. Did you really want him leeching off of you for the rest of your life?” When Molly didn’t come to the door for a third time Sophie took that as permission to let herself in. 

She dug through her purse until she found the spare key to Molly’s apartment. She opened the door and let herself in. To her surprise Molly wasn’t on the couch indulging in Mexican food and Disney movies, her usual break up regimen. Sophie pursed her lips in confusion. She was certain Molly would be here. She usually took a good week to get over a guy and during that time she rarely left the couch.

“Molly, are you moping in your bed? If so, that’s a new level of pathetic. It’s been three days and you guys only dated for a few months.” Sophie walked past the living room to the hallway, “Besides, you’re the one who broke up with that needy little toad!” Molly opened the door to her sister’s room and peered inside, she wasn’t there either. Sophie crossed her arms and smiled. Molly had gotten over this break-up in record time, she was proud of her. She would have to text her again so that they could get together and have a celebratory dinner. Sophie headed back to the entryway, texting her sister as she walked. She could still get in a few hours of studying before dinner time. Approaching the door, she sent the text to her sister and reached for the doorknob but a note on the back of the door caught her eye. She read the first line and her entire being filled with dread just as Molly’s ringtone rang ominously from somewhere in the apartment.

‘I am sorry, Sophie.’ Sophie ripped the note from the door and clutched it to her chest, closing her eyes in dread. She wouldn’t do it. Not that. Molly could be a drama queen but she wouldn’t kill herself. Sure, she had some emotional issues in the past but she had worked through that. She was strong now. She was better than that. Sophie finally worked up the courage to look at the paper. She glanced down at her sister’s neat handwriting, her heart beating so fast it hurt. At first the words did not process in her mind as her eyes tried to drink in all of the words at once. As the seconds ticked by her mind calmed and the letter started to become coherent. 

‘I am sorry, Sophie. I know you texted me saying that you were coming over but I’ll be gone by the time you read this. I am sick of laying around and mourning the loss of yet another failed relationship. I feel like my life has been a never ending cycle of work, dating and break-ups. I can’t take it anymore. Something needs to give. That is why I made the decision to go to London for two weeks to search for employment. It has always been a dream of mine to live in England and I hope to finally bring it to fruition. I set-up a few interviews just before I broke up with Devon. I was planning on telling you if these two weeks actually amounted to something. I know that you’ll understand where I am coming from. Wish me luck!

Love,

Molly’

Sophie let out a large rush of air she wasn’t even aware she was holding. So her sister had gallivanted off to Europe. Sophie wasn’t surprised by her sister’s decision. Molly always loved to travel and explore and she often bemoaned the fact that the United States was so far away from the great cities of Europe. Sophie put the note and on the side table and started to open the door to leave. When a chilling realization crept into her mind. Molly had left her phone. She never left without her phone. That stupid lump of plastic and metal was her entire world. She even got a phone programmed for international travel so she wouldn’t have to worry about ridiculous charges. Something was wrong. Sophie turned from the door to head back to her sister’s room when her whole body froze with fear. Devon was standing in the entryway to the hallway covered in blood and water. In his right hand he held a bloody knife. 

“Where is Molly, Devon?” Sophie asked, her voice shaking from fear and apprehension. He stared at her with glossed over eyes and a face devoid of emotion.

“I heard what you said about me, Sophie. That wasn’t very nice,” he said in a flat, toneless voice.

“Where is my sister?!” Sophie shouted at him, tears forming in her eyes. Molly had to be ok. This was at just some sick joke. She had to be ok.

“She was dirty so she had to take a bath. Clean away the filth from her skin.” He looked down at the knife in his hand and then returned his gaze to Sophie’s. A steel like resolve had entered into his eyes. Sophie backed up into the door, grasping the door handle in her trembling hand, slick with sweat. “But it won’t wash away the poison in her mind. The bad thoughts she has of me. Thoughts that you put there!!” He ended with a shriek, raising the knife and charging at her. Sophie twisted the handle and opened the door, sprinting through it. 

“Help! Somebody please! Hel…” Sophie was cut off abruptly as Devon tackled her from behind. He roughly turned her around and tried to bring the knife down onto her chest. Sophie threw up her hands and caught his approaching arm. Tears rolled down her face in torrents, fear clouding her mind. All she could do was scream and try to push him away but he was so strong. Too strong. Suddenly his other hand came out of nowhere and he punched her upside the head. Her vision became momentarily blurry but she could still see the knife in perfect focus as he slowly lifted it high in the air and then brought it down in one swift movement. Sophie felt a pressure in her chest and she tried to call out once more but it came out as a strangled gurgle.

“Hey!" Someone shouted but she couldn’t tell from where. They sounded so far away. She saw Devon look up past her head before jumping to his feet and running away. Sophie heard footsteps behind her, approaching quickly. Someone stopped by her and knelt down but another pair of footsteps continued running. They must be going after Devon.

“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Sophie looked up at the figure leaning over her. It was a pretty, young blonde woman. Why did she look so afraid? “I-I am going to get my phone. You need an ambulance!” The woman rose to her feet and then retreated out of Sophie’s sight. An ambulance? What was she talking about? She wasn’t hurt. Sophie groggily looked down and noticed the knife sticking out of her chest. No, that couldn’t be right. She saw it descend but she felt no pain. There should be pain. Besides, it was so close to her heart. There is no way she could be alive with a knife that close to it. What about her sister? That woman had to check to make sure Molly was ok. Sophie tried to shout to the woman but no tangible sound would come out. Her chest felt heavy. It was getting hard to breath. Why couldn’t she breathe? Sophie tried to inhale but it had the opposite effect, she started to cough instead. A bitter, metallic taste filled her mouth as blood rushed up her throat. Sophie turned her head to the side and spat onto the carpet. So much blood. Devon must have stabbed her in a lung. She was going to drown in her own blood. It probably wouldn’t be long now. 

She tried to breathe in again but it was to no avail. She coughed up some more blood but soon she wasn’t even able to do that as all breath left her body. Instead, she started to choke on the ever increasing crimson liquid. Her vision started to go in and out as her brain was slowly deprived of oxygen. That’s when she noticed the figure standing over her. Had the blonde come back? She didn’t want to die alone. She never thought of that before but laying here in the middle of this hallway, her life slipping away, the thought of dying alone terrified her. The figure stooped down and came into her limited view. Molly? Thank God she was ok. Her sister’s brown eyes looked so sad in her pale, oval face. Her large mass of black curls hung limply about her shoulders, weighed down from the dampness of a recent bath. She was dressed in a white night gown but it was riddled with cuts and blood. Sophie felt embarrassed that a single cut could bring her down but her sister could still walk around with several stab wounds. Molly reached down and gently placed her hand on Sophie’s face, brushing her thumb gently across the tear streaked surface. Her hand was so cold, like ice. 

“Not yet, Sophie. I won’t allow it,” Molly said in a soft, comforting whisper. Sophie knit her brow in confusion. What was she talking about? As darkness started to eat away at the corners of her vision, Sophie watched her sister move her hand to the knife in her chest, resting atop the wound. Suddenly, her sister’s entire hand disappeared in Sophie’s chest cavity, as though her body was merely water. Sophie curved her back from the floor and started to thrash around as a searing pain engulfed her chest. Blood gushed out of Sophie’s mouth like a faucet, blending in with the blood from her stab wound pooling on the floor. As the blood emptied from her lungs, Sophie gulped in large gasps of air. She could breathe again. She was alive. Sophie looked back up at her sister who smiled gloomily down at her. Why was she sad? They were both ok. What was there to be so sad about? They’d go to the hospital, get fixed up and then be joking about this in no time. No time at all…With that last thought Sophie gave in to the darkness.

Sophie’s eyes shot open and she raised up in the bed. She looked around the room in panic. She was surrounded by lavish luxury: oak antique furniture, large glass widows, intricately carved moldings, heck the poster bed she was on was probably bigger than her entire bedroom back home. Shouldn’t she be in a hospital? From a dark corner of the bedroom a man stepped forward. Horrible scars covered large portions of his pale body. He was tall, lean and moved with the self-assuredness that only a man in complete control could pull off. Ruvik. Slowly her memories started to piece back together slowly but surely. She was in Ruvik’s mind. Everything that she just experienced had happened three long years ago. Ruvik sat next to Sophie on the bed and lifted his hand to stroke her hair.

“How long have I been asleep?” She asked looking down at her clasped hands trembling in her lap. She could feel the tears threatening to let themselves loose. It had all felt so real. The experience had opened up some emotional wounds that she would have preferred to remain closed. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. She had to be strong.

“Not long. No more than half an hour. I just got back from observing the others. I am sure you’ll be glad to hear the female detective lived,” he said in his raspy voice, his hand continuously caressing her hair. She honestly didn’t care about the uppity detective at the moment. She was too tired and too worn out to care. “What happened when you regained consciousness?” She looked up at him wearily and leaned her head against his shoulder. She felt him tense at the sudden contact but he didn’t pull away. She wasn’t expecting any sympathy or pity from him, she just needed to feel another human being. To connect with someone even if it was superficial. 

“I woke up in a hospital three weeks later. I am sure you can surmise from the amount of stab wounds my sister had that she was already dead when she appeared to me. I was adamant at first that she was alive, that I had seen her in the hallway but she was dead before I even walked into the apartment.”

“You should have died from your injuries as well.” Sophie smiled at his indelicate bluntness. You could always count on him to be ever practical and cold.

“Yes, I should have. The doctors say that a massive clot formed, stalling the bleeding. They had never seen anything like it. She saved me.”

“You believe this is the event that spurred your ability?”

“No, I know this is the event that started it all. I was completely normal before it happened.” Ruvik stilled his movements through her hair.

“Why did you move away from the door?” He shifted her slightly away from his body and held her chin in his hand, tilting her face to his. “You had read the note, was assured of your sister’s safety, but you turned away from the door. Why?” She gave him a weak smile.

“She never would have left without her phone. I knew something was wrong.” He grimaced at her answer.

“You should have left.” She gave him a halfhearted, playful smile.

“Be careful, Ruvik. You almost sound like you care.” 

“I am just amazed that a seemingly intelligent female would do something so utterly foolish.” The smile fell from her face.

“Yes, well, unfortunately hindsight is 20-20.” 

“You blame yourself for her death, don’t you?” He inquired, and once again the tears threatened to fall.

“How do you know that?” She asked in a strained, weak voice.

“I blamed myself for my sister’s death for several years. It was my idea to play in the barn that killed her. I just assumed that you would share similar feelings of guilt. Especially since, from what I can gather, her leaving that man was due in part to your own urging?” Sophie nodded her head in affirmation.

“She could have done better than him. He was so odd and he sucked the energy out of the room. I never thought he was capable of doing what he did.”

“What did he do to her?”

“The police say he must have caught her just before she left. He forced her to change into the nightgown then he...” she took a calming breath in order to continue, “….then he raped her and then forced her into a bath, fully clothed, where he preceded to stab her sixteen times.” She couldn’t help it anymore, the tears streamed down her face. “They didn’t catch him. He’s still out there somewhere. Knowing that makes me sick with fear and rage sometimes. I want him to pay but there’s nothing I can do. I hate it.” She turned her face from him so he wouldn’t see her tears, her weakness. To her surprise, Ruvik turned her face to him once more and kissed her. She stiffened at the contact, remembering his intent the last time they were intimate. She decided that at the moment she just didn’t care. She just wanted to feel alive again, to feel good again. She leaned into him, deepening the kiss. At her acceptance of his touch, he let out a small growl of pleasure but to her dismay he pulled away from her. She tried to pull him back but he denied her his touch.

“You have relived a traumatic experience. The first time we are together I want you to be in your full capabilities both physically and mentally. I will accept nothing less.” He got up from the bed and turned away from her. “I will be gone for some time. I must make sure everything is progressing as planned.” He said in a noticeably deeper voice. “I recommend you use this time to rest. When I return you will show me the other memory.”

“Ruvik…” He turned to face her. “After sharing my memory with you, how much access do you have to my mind?” He gave her a sideways smile and then disappeared. Sophie laid back against the bed, unsettled by the fact that she had most likely given him free access to her brain and also, disturbingly, disappointed that he had left her. She pulled the covers over her body and let the heat envelop her, lulling her into a dreamless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Ruvik was powerless. He had forgotten how that felt. He has been trapped within his own world as a virtual God for so long that he had grown accustomed to having control over everything. But standing here now, watching this man trying to kill Sophie, it reminded him of the harsh realities of the real world. Of the loss of power. Made mortal once more. It sickened him.

The girl screamed and screamed as she tried her best to ward off the crazed man but it was clear that she was going to lose the struggle. She was far weaker than the man above her. He watched with fascination and he daresay some unease as the man slammed his fist into the medium’s skull and then brought the knife slamming down into her chest. A brief moment of intense emotion washed over Ruvik as he watched the first streams of blood slip from the damning wound. She was going to die. The chances of her surviving an injury like that; so close to the heart and most definitely in her left lung, was near impossible. Could it be that she had died and the Organization had the medium’s recently deceased brain connected to STEM? No. That wouldn’t be logical. If they were going to try such a feat they would have had the dying individual readily available. By the time they were able to retrieve Sophie’s body her brain cells would have deteriorated too far for transference into STEM. That means she must have lived through this attack. Although, he can’t see how she managed it.

The world around him shifted in and out of blackness as the girl fought against unconsciousness. He watched with disgust as the man who had stabbed her run off the moment he was discovered. What a filthy coward. Just like Jimenez. As the newly arrived man chased after the medium’s attacker a young woman, presumably the man’s girlfriend, leaned over Sophie’s body with shaking hands and a look of pure horror in her eyes. She said something about an ambulance before running off back down the hallway. He stepped closer to the girl and looked down at her, his face an impassive mask. She coughed out copious amounts of blood before all air left her, causing her to violently choke on the crimson liquid. Something had to happen soon or else she wasn’t going to make it. The girl had said that a person no longer living had saved her but there was evidence thus far to support such a theory. 

A sudden movement to his right caught his attention and he turned his head to see an intriguing sight. A girl, presumably the medium’s sister, stood there in dripping wet lingerie. Deep stab wounds were scattered across her torso. This woman had most certainly already passed. As the girl stood there, looking down at her bloodied sister, he took a moment to compare the two woman. He quickly came to the conclusion that they bore little resemblance. Sophie had straight, brown hair and a heart shaped face whereas her sister had thick black curls and elongated features. Sophie also had a darker complexion and more generous curves then her slight of frame sister. If anything, the medium’s sibling resembled his own precious sister, Laura, more than her. The apparition moved forward and leaned down to the rapidly dying girl, cupping Sophie’s face in one of her hands.

“Not yet, Sophie. I won’t allow it,” she said softly before plunging her hand into the medium’s chest. His eyes widened in curiosity and slight disbelief as Sophie arched her back in agony, anguish engulfing her green orbs. She soon started to cough up blood once more, clearing her lungs from the suffocating fluid. She gasped in some precious breaths of air before finally fainting. As she lost consciousness, Ruvik was engulfed into utter darkness. He used his powers to form a light above them. Its soft hue engulfed the duo, leaving the rest of the area in obscurity. He bent down over the girl and waved his hand over her form, cleaning her of the blood and replacing the sundress with her jeans and shirt. He didn’t return her to her previous state of injury. He was a man badly scarred who governed a world of unspeakable torments, he wanted to maintain what little beauty he could in his possession. Then again…

He once more waved his hand over Sophie, this time focusing on her neck area. He returned the bite marks and bruises he had given her during their brief intimacy together. He enjoyed looking at them. They were a reminder that she was his. He then lifted the girl into his arms, amazed at how cool she had become. Like a corpse. He transported them both back to the mansion and laid her on his bed. He would let her rest for the moment, her temporary incapacitation gave him the opportunity to check on the others.

He returned to the ambush room where he was greeted with a menagerie of severed limbs, disemboweled intestines, and vast pools of blood. He was angry to discover none of the detectives among the carnage. At least his trap around the water chamber had worked, collapsing the floor around them. There were creatures waiting down below for them but nothing more difficult then what they just endured. Now that he had regained his full strength it was time to show them what true horrors he was capable of conjuring. He transported himself down into the damp, dark tunnel and leisurely started to walk the crumbling passageway. He needed some time to contemplate his next course of action.

It was clear that the other male detective, Joseph, was close to succumbing to Ruvik’s consciousness. It wouldn’t be long now. Some more time alone, isolated from the strength of his colleagues, would help to expedite the process. There was no evidence that the female detective was falling under any of his influence. She avoided the safe zone and all other little tricks he had set-up to gain entry into people’s minds. He had been able to garner some brief glimpses into her psyche but nothing to the extent that he was used to. She must have had training to fight against such intrusions by the Organization. Or, perhaps, they did something to the chemical balance in her brain or even her brain lengths directly. He was interested to see what the Organization had done to achieve such a feat. He had only scratched the surface of keeping people’s consciousness separate instead of melding together when he discovered Leslie but his research had not progressed much further due to Jimenez’s betrayal.

At the very least the other male detective, Sebastian, was coming along superbly. He had a special plan for him but it needed to be executed very precisely to succeed. He already showed signs of giving in to Ruvik’s world, in large part due to the detective’s excessive use of the chair in the safe zone. But it was vital that he did not give in completely. Ruvik did not want him to become another mindless zombie. He had much greater plans in store for him. In order for the plan to work he would have to incorporate more visual cues and recordings from his own past. He needed to establish a quasi-personal connection with the detective. To draw him into Ruvik’s emotions and memories. He would succumb soon enough.

Bored with his slow pace, Ruvik transported himself further into the labyrinth like tunnel until he found the trio. He sent out a mental summons, calling his sister to him in order to separate the detectives. He was pleased to see the two male detectives grab their heads in pain as he sent out the calling, but the female detective remained unmoved. It was irritating but at this point expected. He watched with a jaded wariness as his sister’s claws rose from the bloody stream beneath their feet and pulled them under. With that taken care of, he decided to see how the medium was fairing before he confronted his most hated prisoner, Jimenez. 

He returned to the bedroom and stood in the shadows as the girl slept. He snapped his fingers and instantly the medium’s eyes flew open and she sat up. She looked around the room in a daze. He figured she must still be under the influence of the memory. He stepped forward into the dim light. At first confusion and even a hint of fear overtook her features but it was soon replaced by realization and acceptance. The girl had re-entered reality.

He stepped forward and sat next to her on the bed, taking in the empty look in her eyes and her shaking hands. Her experience in the memory must have unnerved her. Taking advantage of her distracted state of mind, he weaved his fingers through her hair. He didn’t know what fascinated him so about the girl’s hair. Perhaps it’s because her long hair reminded him of his sister’s own locks. Or maybe some deep, obscure part of him relished in the intimacy of the action. Whatever the reason, he felt compelled to touch her. 

“How long have I been asleep?” She asked, her voice faltering slightly from emotion. 

“Not long. No more than half an hour. I just got back from observing the others. I am sure you’ll be glad to hear the female detective lived.” He furrowed his brow when she did not respond to his statement. He did not like the girl this way, small and defeated. “What happened when you regained consciousness?” He questioned, hoping her discussion of the incident would give him some clarification and draw the girl out of her melancholy. They had other matters to attend to and her misery would only be a detriment to progress. From the corner of his eye he saw the girl tilt her face toward him but he did not return her gaze. He was taken aback when she leaned into his body. His body went rigid from the contact. Her cool body clashing with his heated skin. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had willingly sought his embrace. It was oddly…pleasant…but not the reaction he had expected. If anything, he would have thought she would push his hand away from her hair and move away from his touch. Now that he thought on it, her acceptance of his advances up to this point was highly suspect. If he found out she was playing him a fool, he would make her pay dearly. 

“I woke up in a hospital three weeks later. I am sure you can surmise from the amount of stab wounds my sister had that she was already dead when she appeared to me. I was adamant at first that she was alive, that I had seen her in the hallway but she was dead before I even walked into the apartment.” He had known that she was already dead. It was miraculous enough that the medium had survived her wounds but the other girl, it was most definitely impossible.

“You should have died from your injuries as well.” He murmured in his graveled tones, remembering her on the ground, surrounded in a crimson halo of her own blood. She looked tragically beautiful when she had finally fainted.

“Yes, I should have. The doctors say that a massive clot formed, stalling the bleeding. They had never seen anything like it. She saved me.”

“You believe this is the event that spurred your ability?” 

“No, I know this is the event that started it all. I was completely normal before it happened.” His fingers stilled midway through her hair. There was something that had bothered him in the memory. An action she took that he did not fully comprehend.

“Why did you move away from the door?” He moved her soft body away from his, grasping her chin within his fingers. He tilted her face towards his, capturing her gaze within his own icy stare. “You had read the note, was assured of your sister’s safety, but you turned away from the door. Why?” Her lips tilted upward in a slight smile but the sentiment did not reach her eyes.

“She never would have left without her phone. I knew something was wrong.” He felt his face tighten in disapproval. If she knew something was wrong then she should have left immediately. She could have called the police, sought out a neighbors help, or simply ignored her instincts. She had unnecessarily put herself in harm’s way. What a preposterous thing to do. 

“You should have left.” He said in a low, even voice. Keeping the disgust from seeping in.

“Be careful, Ruvik. You almost sound like you care.” She teased him, grating on his already strained nerves.

“I am just amazed that a seemingly intelligent female would do something so utterly foolish.” He sneered. He watched with satisfaction as all mirth vanished from her face.

“Yes, well, unfortunately hindsight is 20-20.” A dark look overcome her features, one that he had seen plenty of times before in his own mirror. One that haunted him each and every day for years: guilt.

“You blame yourself for her death, don’t you?” The girl winced at his inquiry.

“How do you know that?” She asked, her voice noticeable strained.

“I blamed myself for my sister’s death for several years. It was my idea to play in the barn that killed her. I just assumed that you would share similar feelings of guilt. Especially since, from what I can gather, her leaving that man was due in part to your own urging?” She nodded her head.

“She could have done better than him. He was so odd and he sucked the energy out of the room. I never thought he was capable of doing what he did.”

“What did he do to her?” He could make a logical deduction based off of the state she had been in when she appeared, but he wanted the girl to clarify it for him. To validate his assumptions.

“The police say he must have caught her just before she left. He forced her to change into the nightgown then he...” she paused momentarily, closing her eyes to gather her nerves to continue “….then he raped her and then forced her into a bath, fully clothed, where he preceded to stab her sixteen times. They didn’t catch him. He’s still out there somewhere. Knowing that makes me sick with fear and rage sometimes. I want him to pay but there’s nothing I can do. I hate it.” She turned away as tears started to fall down her flushed cheeks. He knew that she was hiding her grief from him. There was no need, though. He knew exactly how the girl felt. He had longed for vengeance for several years. Most days it was the only thing that got him out bed in the morning. It fueled his need to research and learn. Of course there had also been the perpetual fear. Fear that they would come back to finish the job. That they would set him aflame once more. Every sudden light or flicker of a flame in the distance had sent his mind reeling in terror. But he had gotten his revenge. He had either torn open their skulls to peer inside or had integrated them into STEM, drowning them in horrors beyond their imagination. Breaking down their mind and soul until nothing human remained. It had been exquisite. 

He lifted his hand, cupping the girl’s face to turn it to his own. He leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Her tears had coated her lips, making them taste of salt. He meant for it to be a short kiss. A symbol of his empathy for her grief. But when she leaned into him, moving her lips in urgency against his own, it was difficult to contemplate stopping. Nonetheless, he let out a growl of desire and frustration and set her away from him. She tried pulling him back to her. A tempting offer but one that he had to refuse. He would not be with this girl when she was steeped in despair. He wanted her to be lively and glowing with desire. Yearning for his touch and eager to reciprocate. 

“You have relived a traumatic experience. The first time we are together I want you to be in your full capabilities both physically and mentally. I will accept nothing less.” He got up from the bed and took a few steps away from her. “I will be gone for some time. I must make sure everything is progressing as planned. I recommend you use this time to rest. When I return you will show me the other memory.” He was about to disappear but the sound of his name on the girl’s lips halted his movements. 

“Ruvik…” He turned to face her, his body taut from unfulfilled need. “After sharing my memory with you, how much access do you have to my mind?” That wasn’t quite what he was expecting. Of course, he had taken advantage of the situation to establish a better connection. He could delve into her mind anytime he wanted to now. But he saw no reason to tell her that. He smirked at her before disappearing. Letting her squirm over the unanswered question.

Ruvik transported himself to Jimenez’s location. A small supply room in a dilapidated warehouse. His creatures milled about in the large enclosure, waiting for their moment to attack. The lowly weakling had been hiding in that room for the past hour. Probably waiting for someone to come and rescue him. Pathetic. The zombies turned their lighted gaze upon him as he walked by, as though they were expecting something from him. Once they realized he had nothing to offer, they quickly lost interest once more. He stopped in front of the doorway to Jimenez’s hiding place, lifting his hand to the rusty sheet of metal that served as a door. Ruvik could hear Jimenez let out a cry of despair as the room shifted and altered around him, transporting him to a faux STEM machine. Within moments the deed was done and Jimenez was no longer in the room, cowering away. Ruvik brought himself to Jimenez’s location except he transported himself to a second story walkway, hidden in the shadows. He wanted to observe his prey before he struck.

Ruvik watched with distaste and satisfaction as Jimenez scurried frantically around the laboratory in excitement, like a cockroach blinded by a sudden light. What a fool. Did Jimenez really think that he would allow anyone such easy access to a STEM terminal? Ruvik grasped the cool metal bars of the walkway and leaned downward to watch the play of emotions across Jimenez’s face: joy, relief and, most importantly, hope. Good. The more hope that Jimenez has in the belief that he can escape Ruvik’s world the sweeter it’ll be to tear it away from him. That was the whole purpose of leading him to this place. To this farce. 

Ruvik paced silently on the walkway as he mentally prepared himself to confront Jimenez. It would take a great deal of discipline not to rip him apart limb from limb the moment he went below. As Jimenez turned the STEM mechanism on, it roared to life with a low, satisfying hum. Ruvik had missed that noise. That noise was the sound of progress, of the culmination of his research. What sweet music it played. 

Ruvik noticed that Jimenez had become deathly still, his trembling hands hovering over the keyboard on the consul. Could it be? No. Surely he wasn’t that inept. He transported himself below to the opposite side of the room. He didn’t trust himself to be too close to that filth without causing him serious physical harm.

“How many years did you feed off my work, Jimenez?” He growled, making Marcelo whirl around in fear at the sound of Ruvik’s hate filled voice. “It had to be over twenty years, counting the years from my childhood, of course. Wouldn’t you agree?” Ruvik started to walk around the circled enclosure but for every step he took, Jimenez took one in the opposite direction. His fear evident in each uncertain footstep and quivering limb. Oh, what joy it brought to Ruvik. “During that time you stole from me vast amounts of research. Research that I worked exhaustively day in and day out to achieve. Research that consumed me. Research that I killed for. And do you mean to tell me that you can’t even operate the device that I have poured my very soul into, a device you stole and imprisoned me within, without my notes?” Jimenez turned a sickly green color at Ruvik’s words, his whole body shook from fear.

“I-I-I know…how…i-it’s just….” Jimenez stuttered out but Ruvik’s patience had run out. He transported himself directly in front of Jimenez and picked him up from the floor by his throat.

“Answer me before you run out of air, you sycophant.” Ruvik spat. Jimenez clawed at Ruvik’s hand but he didn’t loosen his grip.

“I-it’s just b-been a-while since I o-o-operated. I-,” Ruvik suddenly dropped Jimenez on the floor, who immediately started to choke in large gulps of air as he massaged his throat. 

“You really are the most pathetic vermin, Jimenez. You didn’t even have the common sense to keep the knowledge of how to run STEM to yourself. You probably handed the instructions over with a smile on your face. Do you know what that makes you in the eyes of this Organization?” Ruvik leaned menacingly over the crouched, quivering doctor. “Dispensable,” he sneered, taking in great joy by the way Jimenez winced. He must have had some backbone left in that shrunken spine of his because he was finally able to work up the courage to speak clearly to Ruvik.

“I just need time to remember, that’s all.” Ruvik gave him a malicious smile.

“What makes you think I’ll let you live long enough to figure it out?”

“Please, Ruben..”

“Ruvik!” He shouted, hating the sound of his old name. It was the name of a boy who was weak. Who was a victim. It disgusted him.

“Ruvik, I-I can help give you what you want.” Ruvik raised an incredulous eyebrow at his statement.

“How do you propose to do that, Jimenez?” The poor excuse for a man lifted himself up from the floor and met Ruvik’s steely gaze.

“I can get Leslie for you, he trusts me. After I have hooked him into STEM and have escaped then you can finally absorb Leslie’s characteristics.” Ruvik was taken aback. Did this idiot truly believe that consuming consciousness and abilities was still his primary goal? What use were such abilities to a brain in a jar? “Also,” Jimenez continued, “that girl who is here, the one with the long hair. She’s special, Ruvik. She’s the one you had been asking for before…before the unfortunate incident. She is the psychic! I think I can get her connected to STEM as well. I may have to use a bit of force but I…” Jimenez was brutally cut off as Ruvik once again lifted him into the air by his throat, this time crushing his windpipe in his hand.

“She. Is. Mine.” He snarled with fierce possessiveness. “Touch her and what you did to me will be a mere paper cut in comparison. Do you understand?” The sheer terror in Jimenez’s eyes was answer enough. He threw Jimenez away from him, causing him to slam against the metal wall. Ruvik wiped the hand that had touched Jimenez on his pant leg. Not wanting to have his filth directly on his skin.

“You can make whatever feeble attempt to escape you want. I will take great pleasure in watching you fail.” With that said, Ruvik left the STEM room, returning to the medium in the mansion. Once he arrived he noticed that she had once again drifted off into slumber. He walked over to her, grazing his fingertips over his bite marks on her neck. His. She was his. They were all his but she was different from the others. She was his intrigue, his constant distraction, his plaything. He laid down next to her on the bed, drawing her into his body. A delightful shiver shook his frame as her curves cradled into his form. He buried his face into her silken strands and inhaled her scent. Delicious. He would have to wake her soon so that she could show him the other memory but there was no harm in him resting for a moment. He too needed sleep to rejuvenate, albeit only about fifteen minutes. They could both rest for the moment and when they awakened he could finally discern whether or not he was going to kill her. It was bound to be an interesting enterprise.


	13. Chapter 13

Ruvik walked around the girl’s bedroom, taking in everything in the enclosure. Her room was neat and organized except for a desk filled with medical books and charts. He could relate as his own work area had always been filled with various documents and specimens. He had always wanted everything at his fingertips for ease of access. He moved to one side of the room where two large book cases stood, his fingers grazed across the various volumes. The subject matter covered a large array of topics ranging from medical anomalies to classical literature to fantasy novels. Before his injuries, he had greatly enjoyed the written word but he had no time for such distractions after his attempted murder. Perhaps he would take up reading again once he escaped. He had not thought of what he would do after he was whole once more. Besides obtain his revenge, of course.

He moved to another wall, this one littered with framed pictures. He tasted bitterness in the back of his throat at her happy moments captured in film: hiking in mountains, exploring dilapidated castles, making ridiculous poses in front of the leaning tower of Pisa with her friends. Things that he was never at liberty to do. His burns and his father locking him away in the basement made certain of that. He recognized her sister in a great deal of the pictures but the absence of her parents from the gallery of fond memories was deafening. He would have to question her about their exclusion.

He turned to look at the slumbering female. Her face was set in a stern frown, as though the act of sleeping annoyed her. Rims below her eyes were so dark in color that they looked like bruises. Her skin was flushed and pale, her lips drained of color. He was reminded of how she looked when he first encountered her: worn and tired. The soft morning light did nothing to flatter her appearance. It cast sunken shadows on her cheeks, making her reminisce a corpse. 

An irritating beeping broke his reverie as the alarm on her night stand beckoned her from her dreams. Sophie’s brow creased in annoyance at the blaring noise. She lifted a hand in the general direction of the mechanism but she was too far away to reach. She lazily blinked her eyes but as they opened something seemed to materialize mere inches from her face. He transported himself to the opposite side of the bed to get a better look. The girl must have fully opened her eyes because for a split second the image came into full focus: a ragged face of a man. Someone was in the bed with her. The medium let out a small scream before scrambling out of the dark blue sheets and rising to her feet. Her chest rose violently from fear as she looked upon the bed with a confused look. The figure had disappeared.

“Just a dream, Sophie. Just a dream,” she said to herself. Although the tone implied she wasn’t thoroughly convinced by her own statement. He too looked at the bed in bewilderment. It could be that what she saw was a remnant of her dream, manifesting in the memory since it’s what she thought she saw. Still, it was disappointing. He thought that he had finally seen evidence of her ability. But from what he remembers from her file, she constantly sees the dead. They do not disappear and reappear at leisure. Perhaps it was just a dream. 

The girl ran a hand through her hair, her gaze still glued on the empty mattress. She shook her head and turned away from the crumbled bedding. He felt a sudden heat rise in his belly as he watched the girl lift her nightgown over her head and pull her black laced underwear to the floor. This was the first time he had seen her naked and despite her exhausted features and wane figure, she was still a lovely sight to behold. Then again, he had been denied the more pleasurable intimacies his entire life so perhaps any nude female would arise his desires. He watched with fascination as Sophie cupped her left breast and lifted the heavy mound to gingerly touch the angry, welt beneath. Her stab wound had healed well but it was a mark she would forever bear. She winced as her fingers lightly touched the raised, red skin. He had chosen a memory about two months after the attack. The wound would be almost completely healed but still sensitive to the touch.

“I guess I won’t be wearing a bra today…again,” she said sullenly to herself. She walked to a floor length mirror in the corner of the bedroom and looked over her body in the reflective surface. She poked at her thighs and ribs with a dissatisfied look on her face. She gently ran her fingers over her curves, starting at her breasts and slowly moving down to her generous hips. She turned to her side and repeated the motion. His breath caught in his throat as he watched her. 

“I need to make sure I eat more, I am starting to look emaciated,” she murmured. He had to agree with her. Several of her ribs were exposed under taut skin and her hip bones were jutting out a great deal further than her stomach. She was still desirable, but her overt skinniness looked unnatural for her rounded curves. 

She stepped away from the mirror and went to her closet, pulling out a towel and wrapping it around her body. He was irked by the piece of cloth but was also grateful that he could once again concentrate on the task at hand. He was here to observe her ability, a disappointing endeavor thus far. Was he doing something wrong to impede his ability to see them? No, the girl wasn’t showing any indication that she was seeing the dead either. Had she lied? The thought enraged him. She would meet a swift and brutal end if she had dared lie to him. To his face no less. He closed his eyes and regained his composure. He had to be patient. The memory had just begun, she still had plenty of time to prove herself.

When he opened his eyes once more, he discovered that the girl had left the room. The sound of running water caught his attention and he transported himself to the noise. She was already under the hot stream when he arrived, her features blurred by the warped glass. He watched with interest as she showered: lathering her hair in her fingers, caressing her body with soapy digits. 

“Beautiful…” The lone, whispered word seemed to cut the air like a knife. At first he thought that he had imagined it but the girl had turned off the water and poked her head out of the shower. Horror was clearly evident in her olive eyes as they scanned the tiled room for any intruders. Her gaze swept over him plenty of times but it never lingered. He wondered what else laid hidden from her searching eyes. He didn’t like the thought that someone else was in here with her. Taking liberties with what was his. Once again the lack of control gnawed at his sensibilities, annoying him greatly.

The girl exited from the shower, wrapping herself in the towel once more. She hurried from the bathroom and into her room, locking the door behind her. He followed after her, walking right through the door. The girl was sitting on her bed, her forehead buried against her knees, her arms wrapped around her head. He thought that she might be crying but her body was deathly still. After a few seconds she lifted her head and, as he suspected, her eyes were dry. Although, an extreme weariness had settled into her features.

“It’s just in your head, Sophie. It’s paranoia, ignore it.” She whispered to herself. She stood slowly up from the bed and walked toward the closet at a languid pace. It was as though weights were attached to her feet. The girl let the towel drop from her form but her figure did not interest him as it did before. He frowned at the back of the solemn girl before deciding to jump ahead a bit in the memory. He hoped that by then she regained some of her composure. The world twisted and blurred around him as he moved further into the memory. When things were settled, he found himself in the apartment’s kitchen. The medium sat at a table eating gingerly at the eggs and toast before her. The plate was full of food but no heat rose from the contents and the browned bread looked more wet then crispy. She must have been trying to eat for quite some time.

A sudden knock from the entryway caught the girl off guard and she jerked violently in her seat. But instead of moving to the door she remained in her seat, her eyes closed.

“Just go away. Just go away…” she whispered to herself repeatedly. He tilted his head toward the door, wondering who could be on the other side. Whoever it was, it was clear the girl was not excited by the prospect of a visit. 

“Sophie Marie Burke, answer this door immediately or else I will put you out on the streets.” It sounded like an older woman. Her mother perhaps? The girl hung her head for a moment before releasing a frustrated sigh. She rose grudgingly to her feet and moved to the door. She opened the wooden surface a mere fraction but the woman on the other side shoved it open the rest of the way, forcing her way into the apartment.

She was a middle aged woman with cropped black hair, lean figure, and a frown as hard as stone. She looked like an older version of the medium’s sister except this woman looked far sterner and more aloof.

“Hello, mother. Please, let yourself in.” Sophie said sarcastically. The woman turned to her daughter with an icy stare.

“Why wouldn’t I? I pay for this hovel.” The medium closed the door with a hard click.

“You and father insisted on paying so that I could concentrate on my studies, remember? When I offered to pay you said, and I quote, ‘such an action would be grievously stupid and unnecessary given the family’s vast finances’.” The woman’s right eyebrow twitched slightly upwards at Sophie’s words but disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

“It’s impressive that you can remember a conversation that took place years ago and yet can forget simple social graces such as answering one’s phone or not harassing police officers on a daily basis.”

“I am not harassing the police. I am just making sure that they are doing Molly’s case due diligence,” Sophie moved away from the door and returned to her partially eaten breakfast, lifting the plate from the table. “They’re not, by the way. In case you’re interested.” 

“It’s been two months, Sophie. It’s time to move on.” Eggs and toast flew through the air as the medium threw her plate at her mother. The older woman ducked awkwardly to avoid the flying object. The plate slammed into a wall, smashing into a hundred pieces. Ruvik smiled at the medium’s action. He hadn’t expected her to act so violently. 

“Two months?! Two months?! Your daughter was murdered and you think two months is more than sufficient time to try and find her killer? You’re disgusting,” Her mother righted herself once more and straightened her clothes. An emotionless mask for a face.

“I’ve regarded your sister as dead for several years now, you know this.” The girl shook her head in abhorrence.

“I see no point in arguing this with you. Just tell me why you’re here so that you can leave.” Sophie’s mother rolled back her shoulders, regaining her composure. Something about her reminded him about his father. Unjustly proud, overestimating their intelligence and their power over their children. Sheep in wolves clothing but sheep nonetheless.

“The school has told me that you do not intend to resume your studies when the next semester commences. I have come to prove them liars.” Sophie let out a small scoff at her mother’s clipped words.

“Well, this must be very awkward for you, mother, because I am not returning to school in a month.” Her mother noticeably tensed, rage filling her mud like eyes.

“How can you say such a thing?”

“I will return in a year or so, I just need some time. I apologize that my almost dying has proven problematic to your expectations of me.”

“Don’t be snarky, Sophie. Your sister was always snarky.”

“Then it is my responsibility to keep the snark alive, don’t you think? I am sorry that I no longer lie down and take your abuse, mother. It must be so inconvenient when a rug doesn’t know its place is on the floor.”

“Is that what you think my perception of you is?”

“How can I not?” The medium shouted. “I have done everything that you have asked of me my entire life. I went to the college you chose, studied pre-med like father wanted, took every extracurricular activity in my life that you asked me to. Molly did none of that and you and father made your disappointment and resentment for her choices abundantly clear.”

“Your sister’s poor choices got herself killed.” Sophie slammed her fist into the dining room table, the sound echoing throughout the room. Her mother noticeable winced at the impact but she did not show any other sign that the violent action bothered her. Ruvik would love to see this woman break. The ones who perceived themselves as strong and in control were always the most entertaining to tear down. To make them realize how small they truly are.

“How dare you,” Sophie whispered darkly. “How dare you! Molly may not have had a perfect life but she did not get herself killed. Yes, Devon was a mistake but she corrected it and broke up with him. But life is filled with mistakes and repercussions. It just so happens that this particular repercussion far outpaced the mistake. There was no telling that he would snap and kill her. That wasn’t her fault, though. It was a tragic twist of fate.” 

“Your sister was a failure and a disgrace to the Burke name. A name she further besmeared by not only dating an unemployed weakling but allowing him to kill her as well. Such weakness cannot and will not be tolerated in this family.”

The medium moved to the door and jerked it open violently. “Get out. I do not wish to ever see you again. You are no longer my mother.” Her mother looked momentarily taken aback by the medium’s words. But she quickly overcame the shock and moved towards the open doorway.

“You have a month to vacate before I get the authorities involved.” Her mother said before exiting the apartment. Sophie slammed the door and locked it, leaning against the closed doorway as tears of frustration and rage coursed down her cheeks. She slid to the floor, silent sobs raking her body. 

Ruvik stood over the girl. An unknown emotion tightening his chest. He did not take the time to distinguish it. He didn’t want to know what it was. What he did know was that he still had yet to see any spirits. Although he would be lying if he said what he just saw wasn’t…fascinating. Regardless, he had not delved into her mind to see her past family dramas. In the end, this was all useless to him. He waved his hand and everything went black except an unseen light above them. The girl’s clothes returned to their previous state and her figure fleshed out once more but the tears remained upon her cheeks. 

“You have disappointed me thus far, Sophie.” Ruvik said in a stern voice. “You claimed to be able to see ghosts at all times but I only saw mere indications of their presence. Why is this?” The girl stood from the floor, harshly wiping her wet face as though the tears disgusted her.

“That’s because you didn’t go ahead far enough. I didn’t start seeing ghosts all at once after Molly saved me. It took about six months before they were a constant presence in my life.” She said, sliding her hands up and down her arms. He had observed this nervous habit of hers before during times of unease. Seeing her mother again, under such strenuous circumstances, must have discomforted her.

“Your mother…”

“I do not wish to talk about it.” She quipped, cutting him off. His brow furrowed in annoyance and he transported himself to stand directly in front of her. He contemplated grabbing her throat for her impudence but the prospect brought him no joy. Instead, he placed his hands on her arms, gliding them up and down her cool skin, just as she had done. Except he moved slower, his touch lighter. She looked at him with curious eyes, filled with distrust.

“I will allow your interruption…this time. I realize that what you just relived was a very stressful moment in your life.” His hands tightened on her arms suddenly, knowing the pressure was on the verge of hurting her. “However, it would be in your best interest not to test my benevolence in the future.” She stared deep into his eyes, searching for some answer. What it was, he was not entirely certain. After a few moments she nodded her head and he released her.

“So it took a few months for your powers to manifest. How about we jump ahead a bit to see what you’re truly capable of.” He raised his hand to reach once more into her mind but she halted his movement by grabbing onto his arm.

“Wait. Can’t I watch with you instead of actually participating in the memory? It’s just…difficult to live through again.” He starred down at her in consideration. It was true that she could watch with him, it just hadn’t occurred to him to allow her to do so before. Any of his test subjects he made relive a memory had to actively participate so he could properly gage their emotions with his machines. Forcing her to do the same served no such purpose. “Also,” she continued. “If you want an accurate idea of what life as a medium is like then you should choose a memory from before I met James. James is a wonderful fluke. I highly doubt a spirit is going to volunteer to protect you from other ghosts, no offense.” She said nervously, running a timid thumb over his wrist. He had forgotten about her guardian spirit, James. The thought of another man, even a dead man, having a close relationship with her unsettled him. 

“Fine. I shall allow you to view your memory with me as long as you show me two more instances from your life. One with your friend James and another without. I am curious as to what your relationship with him consists of.” The girl smiled up at him, her eyes filling with joy. It was a pleasant sight.

“That’s fine by me!” Sophie moved her hand from Ruvik’s wrist up to the crook of his arm. “Let’s get this over and done with.” Ruvik raised his other hand and shifted their surroundings, moving about a year ahead of the last memory he perceived. When things had settled he found himself in a small studio apartment. Like in the previous memory, the girl was abed but this time she was very much awake, nor was she alone. She laid on her side starring unblinkingly forward. If not for the soft rise and fall of her chest he would have thought her dead. Mere inches from her face was a man with a haggard face starring right back at her. He recognized him as the figure he had seen lying next to her in the previous memory, before he disappeared. This time he didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. 

“Ah, yes, Stalker George. He is not tied to any specific location so he can go anywhere he pleases. Unfortunately for me, that’s usually wherever I am. Then again, that’s true for many spirits who aren’t tied down to a place as you can see.” The girl absently waved her hand to an area behind him. He turned his head to see two men and a woman standing there, motionless. As though they were waiting for something. One of the men seemed to be from the sixties with long flowing hair and threadbare bellbottoms. A bullet wound in his head made it clear how he met his untimely demise. The other man was quite elderly with a mass of wrinkles and a crop of snow white hair. He was dressed in a suit and had no perceivable injuries. Given his age, he must have died from natural causes. The girl was very young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. Deep cuts on both her arms revealed her to be a suicide. Phantom drops of blood flowed from the savage wounds but disappeared into nothingness once they hit the floor. A loud sigh from the bed caught his attention and he once again returned his gaze to the Memory Sophie.

“I guess it’s time to put off the inevitable.” The Sophie from the bed said with a great deal of weariness. She lifted herself from her pillow and swung her feet to the floor. The moment she rose from the mattress the room erupted into a cacophony of noise. The three spirits moved forward toward the girl and started speaking all at once. It was difficult to make out what they were each saying but Ruvik was able to piece it together after a few moments. The hippie wanted to find his murderer even though he had no notion as to who killed him, the elderly man kept talking about his wife and some sort of secret and the young girl kept repeating the words ‘broken’ and ‘fix’ over and over again. It was all quite annoying. It didn’t escape his notice that the one Sophie called George had also risen but he did not speak. A sick grin had overtaken his wrinkled features. Something dark and unnerving glinted within his black, beady eyes.

“The pervert knows I am about to shower. That’s why he looks so happy.” Ruvik looked down at the Sophie on his arm, her gripped had tightened as she starred at George. “He’s my most persistent ghost. He’s never told me anything about himself but he’s very possessive and gets jealous easily. Thankfully, James is pretty good at keeping him at bay.” Ruvik did not respond to her words, he just starred at the one called George. Wondering if there was a way to permanently do away with this irritating little pest.

The Memory Sophie ignored the mad murmurings of the ghosts and moved to the kitchen area not far from her bed. She pulled out a bag of chips from a cupboard and started to eat the contents with zeal. Now that she was standing he noticed that she was no longer skeletal in appearance. Now she was quite…plump. He looked down at the Sophie on his arm to see her glaring up at him.

“Yes, I use to have a bit of an issue controlling my weight. When Molly died I couldn’t eat anything. I was never hungry and everything tasted like ash in my mouth. Once I started to see ghosts though, as you can see, I had the opposite problem. Eating was the only thing that brought me joy. Filled this…void inside of me. A few months from this moment I would get my life a bit more together and start getting to a normal weight but the road to that point was a rocky one.

“What changed to stop your excessive eating?”

“I realized that I wasn’t living. Like these ghosts, I was stuck in limbo. But I wasn’t ready to be dead yet. So I started to seek out professional help with more enthusiasm than I previously had. I decided to take back my life. Although that did nothing to stop the constant badgering I got from the dead.”

“Alright, alright. Listen up,” the Memory Sophie said through a mouth full of chips. She chewed a few more times before finally swallowing. “While I am greatly appreciative that, for once, you all kept your mouths shut through the night can you at least wait until I’ve had my morning shower? Please?” The ghosts had stopped talking when Memory Sophie spoke but the moment she stopped, they once again started speaking, this time with greater fervor. The Memory Sophie sighed and started to remove her clothes. “Fine, jabber away but I am taking a shower.” As she walked to the bathroom she removed the rest of her clothing and stepped into the bathroom. The other ghosts moved to follow her but the one called George appeared in front of the doorway, a look of fury contorting his features.

“Don’t you dare!” He roared. “She is mine to look upon! No one else’s! Only I can see! Only me! Mine to see! Mine!” He shouted at the trio. They seemed to be mollified by his declaration because they all bowed their heads and remained in their place. Ruvik observed Memory Sophie standing behind George, a look of fear and unease in her eyes before she closed the door, sending Ruvik and Sophie into blackness as the memory ended. Ruvik made the light appear above them and he looked down at the girl on his arm. She did not return his gaze, she continued looking forward to where her past self had disappeared.

“I was so afraid that one day he would be able to harm me. After a few months he was able to stroke my hair and his control over the other ghosts continued to grow. He was feeding off of me to expand his own strength. I guess James does that as well but I welcome it. James has always had my best interests at heart. Not George. Never him.” She said in a solemn voice. She finally looked up at him. A deep, aching need lay within her eyes. “Can we please see the other memory now? I want to see James.” For a moment he almost refused to do it. To allow her joy from seeing this man. He held his tongue, though. He didn’t want for her to know that her regard for this ghost bothered him on any level. Besides, he was interested to see their interaction. To know how deep their connection went.

“Fine,” he said in curt voice making the room change once more. Once the scenery settled he released his arm from the medium’s hold. She looked at him with hurt and curiosity but she did not comment on his movement. They were once again in her studio apartment but this time she was not abed, she was standing in front of a TV doing Yoga. Her body was now trim and well filled out, the body that he had become personally intimate with. Even if it was only for a brief moment. He looked around the small apartment to see that he was not the only one staring at the girl. There were nine other people in the limited space, all of them in various manners of dress and injury. It seems tales of the girl’s ability had spread amongst the dead community. Unfortunately, these ghosts had the same penchant to speak over one another as the last trio he had observed. The noise was so deafening he couldn’t even hear the TV over all the talking. The Memory Sophie seemed completely unaware of all the beings around her as she flawlessly moved into each new position. It was a miracle that she hadn’t gone completely insane. He would have no patience for such irritations.

Out of nowhere a man dressed in a gray Civil War uniform appeared from one of the walls. From his peripheral vision he could see his medium break out into a large smile. So this was the infamous James. He was tall and lean with thick black hair, pale skin, and angled features. He was a handsome man. Ruvik instantly disliked him. James looked around the room with a look of wariness and exasperation.

“Sophie, how long was I gone disposing of that detestable man, George?” Sophie did not meet his gaze as she moved into yet another Yoga position.

“I don’t know, about twenty or thirty minutes.” He shook his head.

“Time can be a fickle thing in the afterlife and I was hoping it would have been longer than that for all these people to appear.” Memory Sophie finally straightened herself and gave an apologetic look to the Civil War soldier.

“I am sorry, James. I know it must be difficult to always come to my rescue.” James looked at her with complete tenderness, irritating Ruvik greatly.

“It’s no trouble at all, my dear. It’s not your fault these vultures constantly seek your attention.” He said in a deep, southern cadence. “Come on now, everybody out. Give the lady some privacy.” The soldier walked up to each ghost and touched them. Some of them merely blinked out of existence while the others were pushed through the walls and floor.

“They’re just going to be back in fifteen minutes.”

“Then that’s fifteen minutes that you can have to yourself. Hopefully, it’ll be a few hours before George appears again. I disposed of him a fair distance away.” Memory Sophie beamed at him.

“Thank you, James. I would be lost without you. These moments without the dead surrounding me is the only time I feel even marginally normal.” The ghost looked down at his feet sheepishly, like a child. 

“Would you like me to leave as well, Sophie?” He asked in a voice barely above a whisper. How pathetic. Did this man have no self-respect? To his great annoyance he noticed that not only did the Memory Sophie blush but so did the Sophie standing by him. 

“Of course I want you to stay James, you’re not like them. You’re my friend.” The ghost’s face fell at her words.

“Is that all I am to you, Sophie? A friend?” Memory Sophie’s face fell as well.

“We’ve discussed this before, James. Whatever feelings we may have for one another it can never amount to anything. You’re dead and I am alive.”

“That can change.”

“Yes, and if there was a guarantee that we could be together in the afterlife I think I would join you but there is no such guarantee. Most spirits do pass on to the next realm. What if I crossed over to a different plain and we never saw each other again. Neither of us knows what truly lies beyond.” Ruvik’s eyes widened at her words. She would end her life for this man? For this spirit? Unacceptable. He ended the memory abruptly, taking them back to the mansion room. Sophie looked up at him, an unknown expression within her green eyes. They stood there for a minute, staring at each other in complete silence. Finally the girl spoke, breaking the thick tension in the room.

“I am not going to apologize for loving him, Ruvik.” She said softly. He disappeared. Leaving her alone with her memories of a dead man.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurray! I am not dead! I am really sorry everyone about the long wait. I will finish this story eventually. I have everything planned out in terms of storyline, I just have to find the time to write it now. It doesn’t help that I have moved on from my Evil Within obsession to revisiting my Watchmen obsession. Of course now I want to write a Rorschach fanfic (Isn’t Jackie Earle Haley simply amazing?) but I really want to finish this story first. I hope you enjoy this chapter and hopefully it won’t take me a few months to get the next installment out. Feedback is always appreciated!

Sophie stood alone in the mansion bedroom trying to fight off the wave of guilt that assailed her with Ruvik’s departure. This was ridiculous. What did she have to be guilty about? Nothing, that’s what. She and James had formed a very close bond during their friendship and it had developed and grown into something more, love. It was only natural that they would want to be together, even if it meant her death. Of course, once she came to the realization that even in death they may not be united, she quickly disregarded any thoughts of suicide and dedicated herself to fighting for her life and sanity. To try and find happiness and normalcy in living. Over time, her love for James transformed from the romantic to the platonic but she feared that James still viewed her as a romantic partner. Something he had to forget, just like she had to. She hadn’t had any romantic interest in anyone but James for years, that is, until now. 

Ruvik. What was it about him? He’s an egotistical sociopath who has toyed with her and put her life in danger quite a few times in their short acquaintance. But he was also intelligent, confidant, sure of himself and his mission, and set her heart beating like no one else ever had. Was it the danger of him that attracted her so? Or was she simply a masochist? She had always enjoyed a bit of a dominant trait in her sexual partners in the past and Ruvik certainly was dominant. Sophie let out an aggravated moan and kicked the ludicrously large bed. Why did she have to be so stupid? She paced around the room with a crazed zeal remembering each encounter she had had with him; every heated word, each malicious action and cold look…every delicious caress. She stopped suddenly and felt a rapidly developing blush at that last thought. She had let him touch her sexually. She had been prepared to let him do so much more to her then what little they had done. He was intoxicating and addicting, and even now she wanted more of him. She was insane. Simply insane.

The room suddenly felt like it was closing in on her. Standing next to the bed where she almost had sex with Ruvik probably didn’t help. She quickly walked out to the door and opened it to reveal a large woodened hallway polished to perfection. A rush of cool air greeted her as she stepped out into the dimly lit corridor. Which way should she go? Did it really matter? She was about to walk to the right but a child’s laugh to her left caught her attention. After all of the horror movies she’s seen with creepy children in mansions you’d think she’d want to take off running in the opposite direction, but there was something oddly familiar in that laugh. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She had to know what it was. She walked with determination to the door where the laughter emanated from. As her hand touched the cold metal of the brass doorknob, a new noise drifted from the wooden surface. The soft lilt of a woman’s laughter. Sophie opened the door to see two shimmering figures of a young boy and a teenage girl chasing each other about the room, the young boy was blindfolded.

The boy couldn’t have been more than ten. He had pale, almost white blonde hair and cheekbones much too sharp for a child. There was something familiar about him. Sophie took a few steps closer and then it dawned on her, it was Ruvik! It was his stance that gave him away. Even at such a tender age he held himself with self-assurance and confidence. Sophie turned to the young woman who had the longest, blackest hair that she had ever seen. It seemed to cascade down her back like a waterfall of ink. It was mesmerizing to look at. She was also very beautiful with soft features, a slender figure, and ruby red lips. She was young, too young to be his mother. A sibling perhaps?

“You’re not very good at this game, Laura. I can here you snickering.” The young Ruvik said, turning toward his sister who hid in a corner of the room. Laura put her hand to her mouth to cover the sound of her laughter but her body still shook from mirth. Laura? Sophie knew that name. It was the name on the journal she had found but she hadn’t really looked that much into it. She had assumed it was the diary of one of Marcelo’s patients and had nothing to do with this whole situation. It looks like she was wrong. Ruvik walked slowly to his sister, too slowly. It was clear that he was giving her the opportunity to get away, the tilt of his head revealed that he knew where she was at all times. Laura moved past the window but her foot caught on a curtain and sent her crashing to the floor. The young Ruvik tore the handkerchief from his eyes and ran over to his sister.

“Laura! Are you hurt?” The young woman giggled in response. Mirth creased her features and infused her black eyes with warmth.

“I am fine Ruben. You know I have always been a klutz.” Ruben? Was that his real name? Laura took one of Ruvik’s presented hands and lifted herself from the floor. Dusting at her skirts to rid the fabric of any wrinkles. “Now then, Ruben, I believe there was something you wished to show me before I ambushed you with my handkerchief and started this little game.” Ruvik’s eyes alit with pleasure as he made his way to the desk by the door. A shimmering notebook materialized out of nowhere and the young Ruvik picked it up and flipped through it with great enthusiasm. 

“Look at this Laura, isn’t it fascinating?” Sophie peered over Laura’s shoulder as Ruvik showed her a few pages from his notebook. It turned out to be detailed drawings of a pig’s brain with notes neatly written in the margins. Sophie was taken aback by how well-drawn and detailed the drawings were, especially since they were done by a child. Was there anything Ruvik couldn’t do? 

“This is amazing Ruben!” Laura exclaimed although there was an uneasiness hidden in the depths of her praise. “Did you trace this from one of the books in the library?” A scowl overcame the young Ruvik’s face making him look very much like his adult self. 

“Don’t be insulting, Laura. I dissected the brain myself and did the drawings. If I want complete accuracy and details I had to do it myself.” He said with utmost pride and certainty.

“Did you kill it Ruben?” Laura asked in a whisper. He looked at her with a steadfast gaze, there was no emotion.

“No, Laura, one of the butchers from the village did. I believe we had its meat for supper a few nights ago. What if I had killed it Laura? Would that somehow make it different from the butcher killing it?” Laura waved her hands in the air in a dismissive manner.

“Forget I said anything Ruben, I was just being silly. These drawings really are amazing. Have you shown mother and father? I know that they would be very impressed.” Ruvik’s young face once again darkened.

“Mother finds my work distasteful and father doesn’t care about anything that doesn’t have to do with the church. They do not care about us, Laura.” He said it in such a matter of fact tone that it devastated Sophie. Laura bent down and hugged Ruvik, who returned the embrace by burying his face in her hair. 

“You know that’s not true, Ruben,” she said softly. “They just have a lot on their mind with running the estate and businesses, that’s all.” He pushed away from her and looked deep into her eyes.

“No, Laura. They do not care. We only have each other in this world.” He took her small hand in his even smaller one, “Don’t worry, I will always be there for you and protect you. I promise.” Suddenly the two figures vanished to be replaced by a new glimmering person. This time it was Ruvik as a young man. He was covered in bandages but was dressed very neatly with a tucked in button up shirt and trousers. Sophie would even call him handsome if it weren’t for the blood spatter that covered him from head to toe. He stood in front of Laura’s bed, his chest heaving violently.

“I did it Laura, I am free of them.” He said to the empty bed. “You should have seen the look in father’s face as I struck him down. When he realized that he was the weak one and that I have the power. He thought he could keep me locked away forever like some dying leper. But I am very much alive. Oh yes, he came to realize that in the end. Then there was mother.” He let out a scoff of laughter. “I heard her cry out our names each night from my prison in the basement. She hadn’t been a mother to us in life so what made her think she had the right to be one to us in death? She learned, though. She learned that there is no forgiveness or mercy in death. I will have our revenge Laura. I wasn’t able to keep you safe but I will make your murderers scream. I promise.” The Ruvik figure disappeared leaving Sophie alone and dumbfounded in the large room of his dead sister. The rational part of her brain told her she should be horrified by what she just witnessed but oddly enough, she wasn’t. Instead, she was struck by how many similarities they seemed to share: a dead sister, neglectful, hateful parents, and a burning desire to conquer the hardships in life. Sophie turned to the door, a bittersweet smile on her face. They were two peas in a pod, her and Ruvik. 

X X X Ruvik X X X 

Ruvik walked the halls of the hospital with a meticulous, quick step sending any furniture or creature into the wall that dared to obstruct his path. Littering the floor with splinters, bent metal, and gore. Weak. She was weak. Just like the others. He had thought that she hungered for life, just as he did but he had been wrong. She had given up and wanted to be joined with a dead man. He knew that she no longer harbored such suicidal feelings but knowing that she had ever entertained such thoughts sickened him. Even during his darkest times when he laid immobile in his bed, unable to move from his injuries with pain emanating from every piece of flesh, he stayed strong. Not even the suffocating, tormenting knowledge that he was the one that brought his beloved sister, Laura, to her death could deter his thirst for life. ‘But what if Laura had appeared to me as a ghost, would I have been enticed then to the afterlife?’ Ruvik shook his head violently to rid himself of the annoying thought. It was a dangerous question to entertain because he already knew the answer. An answer which would make him a hypocrite and his anger towards the medium unjustifiable. So he would ignore that particular thought and continue on with his rage, and he knew just the person to take it out on.

Ruvik transported himself to the walkway above Marcelo and the fake STEM device. Ruvik was taken aback when he saw Leslie connected to the faux machine. When had Marcelo gotten his grubby hands on the boy? He should have sensed something. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He had let the medium distract him. He felt out the rest of the vicinity and realized the detective, Sebastian, was close by as well. Ruvik had let his lab rats alone much too long. They were doing things in his maze that they weren’t supposed to. Ruvik transported himself to the lower levels where Marcelo scurried about with perspiration dripping down his pale face, a wild look in his eyes. 

“So you believe you have figured it out, Marcelo?” Ruvik said in his raspy voice. Marcelo whirled around to face him, fear evident in his eyes.

“Ruvik, p-please let us leave, t-together. You can finally have a normal life through Leslie’s body. You may not be rejoined with your sister as you had hoped…” That immediately caught Ruvik’s attention.

“What are you babbling on about, Marcelo?” Marcelo seemed genuinely confused.

“Isn’t that why you wanted the medium? To find your sister’s spirit and give her a body once more?” Ruvik’s eyes widened before he burst out into laughter. Ruvik couldn’t remember the last time that he had legitimately laughed.

“That is the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard, Marcelo. I am a scientist, not a dark wizard. Even if Laura were a ghost I would need a brain wave in order for inception into STEM to be achieved. If you had done even a fraction of the work I did on STEM you would already know that.” Marcelo’s face reddened with embarrassment.

“I still don’t understand how a man who is nothing more than a brain in a jar who gave himself physical form once more could call my idea ludicrous.” Ruvik sobered at Marcelo’s words.

“I did not take physical form again, although I will admit that I too have referred to it in such a manner since it felt that way. No, what I did was take all of the energy from the surrounding city in order to increase the output of the wireless capabilities of STEM in order to reach everyone in the hospital. Utilizing this and Mr. Rankin’s ability of telekinesis, I was able to enter reality once more and take over the hospital. I had no physical form, per se, but everyone in the hospital perceived that I had one. I did have some physical capabilities due to the telekinesis which allowed me to kill whoever was unneeded.” Ruvik finished with a smirk, still pleased with what he had accomplished at the hospital. It had been glorious.

“So you are giving up on Laura so easily? That doesn’t seem like you, I know how much you loved her.” Ruvik took a menacing step toward Marcelo.

“There is nothing to give up, Marcelo. Laura is dead and nothing can bring her back, I accepted this long ago. As I said, I need a brainwave from a living host which is something Laura hasn’t produced for decades. If there was even the slightest chance of bringing her back, believe me, I would rip this world in two to pursue it.” Ruvik took another threatening step forward, putting him in reaching distance of Marcelo. The doctor’s fear must have outweighed his insolence because he put up his arms defensively and looked away from Ruvik’s icy glare.

“I am sorry, Ruvik. I should have known better. Don’t get me wrong, I have always admired your love for your sister. Especially considering the things she wrote about you.” An icy chill spread over Ruvik at Marcelo’s words.

“What are you talking about?” Ruvik asked in a dangerously low voice. Marcelo’s eyes grew wide as he realized he had just made a horrible mistake.

“I-I am referring to Laura’s diary, of course. Surely you must have r-read it, it sat in her desk for years after she died before I found it and took it into my p-possession.” Suddenly, Marcelo was lifted into the air as if by magic. Ruvik was still on the ground, his hand raised menacingly in the air, pointed at Marcelo. Ruvik closed his hand slightly causing Marcelo to scream out from agonizing pain.

“WHAT DID SHE WRITE ABOUT ME?!” Ruvik demanded, his mind whirling with the possibilities. He hadn’t gone through her possessions after she had died, it felt like an invasion of her privacy. He simply couldn’t do that to his sister.

“Please, Ruvik. Don’t make me-AHHH!” Once again, Ruvik tightened his hand.

“STOP STALLING AND ANSWER,” Ruvik demanded in a booming, raspy voice.

“She said you were a monster! That she was afraid of you!” Marcelo fell to the floor as Ruvik released his power from him. Ruvik clutched his head as every memory of his sweet sister raced through his mind all at once. He felt something ugly and dark grow within him, something that was fueled not only by his hate and uncertainty but also by the others consumed within STEM. It was a large, grotesque emotion and he could feel it grow and expand into something tangible and real. Then, all at once, his racing mind suddenly stopped and he felt eerily calm.

“You lie,” Ruvik snarled. Glaring at the man before him. The man who now dared to look at him with pity in his eyes.

“I am sorry, Ruvik, but it’s true.” 

“Where is the diary now?” Ruvik demanded.

“I don’t know, it was in my briefcase when I….” Ruvik left him, knowing full well Sophie was in possession of the contents of Marcelo’s briefcase now. Before he left, though, Ruvik sensed two things: the first was the detective, Sebastian only a hallway away from finding Marcelo. The second was a new creature, one born of hate and confusion only a room away from the faux STEM machine. Ruvik set-up an escape for Leslie, knowing that a meeting with that creature was not going to end well for whoever encountered it.

X X X Sophie’s POV X X X 

Sophie found herself in the Victoriano library, frustrated beyond belief. She had found the ultimate home library, much to the delight of her inner book lover. Unfortunately, most of the books were just empty pages. Some of them had words, presumably the ones Ruvik had read, but unfortunately they were mostly complex biology textbooks and historical narratives on medieval torture methods throughout the world. She had had enough biology reading during her training to be a doctor to last a lifetime and given recent horrifying circumstances, reading up on torture was not that appealing. Wandering leisurely through the titles Sophie failed to realize that Ruvik had appeared once more until he grabbed her upper arm in an iron like grip.

“Did you think you could hide it from me Sophie? That I wouldn’t find out?” Ruvik sneered at her in anger. 

“What are you talking about,” Sophie yelled. Trying to no avail to pry his unrelenting fingers from her arm.

“Where is my sister’s journal?” He shook her roughly with each heated word. Her journal? That’s what he’s after? Why would it make him act like this?

“It’s in my backpack in the bedroom.” Sophie hissed in pain. Ruvik immediately transported them to his room, releasing her roughly as he spotted her bag next to the bed. Sophie rubbed her aching arm as she watched him dump all of the contents onto the floor and rifle through them with incredible speed. It didn’t take him long to find the small journal. He held it in his hands with a look of disbelief. For the first time, Sophie saw doubt and uncertainty cloud his eyes and slouch his usually confidant shoulders.

“It’s real,” he whispered to himself.

“Ruvik, I didn’t even know she was your sister until a few minutes ago when I discovered her room. I would have given it to you immediately if I had known the importance of it.” His eyes drew up slowly from the book, anger engulfing the silver orbs. For the first time, Sophie felt truly terrified of Ruvik.

“You have been nothing but a disappointment to me, Miss Burke. I believe it is time for our acquaintance to end.” He waved his hand and before Sophie could say anything she found herself in a large, underground tunnel system of stone and torch lights. Alone.


	15. Chapter 15

Ruvik held the small journal with shaking hands, staring at his sister’s elegant signature on the inside cover. It was true. This was Laura’s journal. How did he know nothing of this before? It disgusted him that Marcelo had had this in his possession, had read the intimate thoughts and details of his sister’s life. He wanted to destroy the diary, to set it aflame and leave what was left of his sister’s privacy intact, but he couldn’t do it. A part of him was appalled at the thought of destroying one of the few remaining possessions of his sister’s while another part had to know. Had to know if Marcelo had been telling the truth. 

‘ “She said you were a monster! That she was afraid of you!” ‘ Had Marcelo been telling the truth? Had his sister feared him? Reviled him? There was only one way to find out, even if it unsettled him. Interrogating Marcelo was no longer an option, the Amalgam Alpha had killed him shortly after Ruvik’s departure. He wished he had been there to witness the event but what is done, is done.

With great reluctance Ruvik opened up to the first page and immediately regretted his decision as the first two words seemed to glare up at him from the aged paper, mocking him.

‘I’m afraid.’ Ruvik closed his eyes and took in a steadying breath. It was a useless gesture since he had no need to breath in his world but the action soothed him, tempered his ever building raging emotions. He looked down at his sister’s words once more, willing himself to read each word, no matter how much they might damn him.

‘I’m afraid. That is why I have decided to write in this journal. My hope is that it will help me to sort out my thoughts and make answers clear to me because I don’t know what else to do at this point. Father grows ever more involved in our local church but I fear that the institution has gone down a dark path. The church and its followers, including father, grows ever more aggressive and devote in their faith. I believe it is no longer a place of worship for the Almighty but is now, instead, a malicious cult. I believe mother senses this as well because she continues to draw within herself. I know it is her way of coping with the changing, dangerous atmosphere that threatens to consume us all. But I need her. I need my mother. I feel as though she has left me behind and I don’t know what to do. Then there is Ruben. He had been my one glimmer of light in the ever increasing darkness but that light is now waning.’

Ruvik could feel something devastating and ugly well up in his chest. He didn’t know that words on paper could affect him so radically. He sunk to his knees as the heavy burden of his sister’s true thoughts weighed him down, crushing him.

‘He has changed so radically these past few weeks that I barely recognize the lovely boy that had once been my brother. At first the changes had been so small that I could ignore them or will them away but that is no longer possible. He likes to kill animals and dissect them, what normal child enjoys such a thing? He not only dissects them, though, he painstakingly draws the gore in his books writing precise, remorseless notes on the page. What has happened to my beloved brother? It is this place, I am certain of it. I wish to leave, to escape this hell. I have harbored such a dream for months now but I am too much of a coward to go through with it. I am ashamed to admit that I no longer know if I would take Ruben with me, I fear he is too far gone.’

No, she couldn’t mean it. Not her. Not Laura. She had been the only person to truly accept him, to love him. He couldn’t lose that, it was the one thing that kept him grounded, kept him partially human. 

He flipped through the rest of the journal to discover that she had filled less than half of the diary’s pages. He skimmed her entries, each word against him another cut in his heart:

‘He scares me…I see him observing people as though they are lambs for the slaughter. What can I do to to return him to the way he was? Is that even possible?...Ruben rarely wants to play with me anymore, says he is too busy with his work. He is ten, what work could he possibly have that is so consuming? I can’t ask him, I am not strong enough for the answer. I feel so alone now, so terribly alone…I heard an animal scream from Ruben’s room. I listened from behind the door as he spoke into a tape recorder. He was hurting the poor creature on purpose. My beloved brother has become a monster.’

Ruvik felt something wet slide down his cheek. He raised his hand and swiped at the wayward moisture. He was crying. He hadn’t cried since the day he realized that Laura was truly gone, burned alive trying to save him. Why had she done it? If he was such a monster then why save him from the flames? Because she hadn’t been a monster. She had been pure and perfect. His sweet sister. With weary hands and a heavy heart he turned to the last page in the diary.

‘Ruben has asked to play with me in the barn in the sunflower field. I am so happy. I no longer believe he will ever be normal again but I will take what little is left of my brother that I can take. I don’t think I can last much longer here. I can feel myself withering away. I have been trying to hide it from Ruben but he senses something is amiss, that is probably why he asked me to join him at the barn. I still love him but my fear and revulsion for his actions grow by the day. I know it won’t be long before he ceases to be my brother and is simply a deranged stranger. May the Lord have mercy on our souls.’

Ruben bowed his head as the journal burst into flames in his hands, sending burning pages shooting into the air. The smoldering debris of his sister’s damning words fell around him, creating his own personal hell of fire and ash. He had disgusted her. Behind every sweet smile and kind word there had been fear and despair just underneath her pristine surface. But…then again. Could he expect anything different from his sister? She was a virtual angel and he a calculating demon. A naïve, pure creature like her couldn’t love something like him. Ruvik stood up and brushed the ashes from his skin, casting off any power his sister had held over him. He would always be grateful for his sister’s sacrifice in saving him and for being the only benevolent presence in his life before the fire. But no longer would he place her on a pedestal. She had never understood him, his ambitions, or his work. 

Annoyingly the medium came to his mind. Her tenacious spirit, her intelligence, her wit, her ability to not only stare a monster dead in the eye but also refute him. He still wanted the girl. He had allowed jealousy for a dead man and the shock of his sister’s journal to blind him. As much as it disgusted him, Ruvik needed someone. The memory of Laura had sustained him for years and fed his vengeance but it did little to stave off the crippling loneliness. He had always craved some form of normalcy and pining for his dead sister did not provide that. He would soon be in possession of an unscathed body and shortly after, his final vengeance. Afterwards, he wanted a life. To take his research to new heights, to be recognized for his ingenuity, and most important of all…power. He would be revered and feared but he had no intention of being alone once more. He had been alone for more than twenty years, he was sick of it. He needed a companion, an equal. Could the medium be such a person? He could not deny his attraction or respect for her but what of equality? 

Ruvik turned toward the door with a small smirk. Did it really matter? He wanted her and she entertained him. She would suffice for the time being. He walked to the door with determination but before he reached the entryway, he disappeared. Starting his search for his misplaced medium.

X X X 

Sophie landed harshly on a stone floor, the cold surface scraped at her skin and battered her limbs as the momentum propelled her against the cold surface before a wall abruptly stopped her movement. She let out an agonized groan upon impact but immediately silenced the noise, fearful of what creature may hear her short lived moan. Unfortunately, the noise had already been claimed by the stagnant, corridor air, bouncing it through the stone passageways. A damning echo of her moment of pain. ‘Great,’ Sophie thought, rising slowly to her feet, her muscles rebelling against the movement. ‘Anything even remotely close by definitely would have heard me.’ 

She looked down both darkened hallways of the corridor, straining to hear the slightest moan or scrape of foot that indicated an approaching enemy but there was nothing. Sophie relaxed slightly, at least Ruvik hadn’t thrown her into an immediately dangerous situation. Given how upset he was about the journal, she had expected to be thrown into the middle of a horde of zombies or the lap of another Sadist-esque being. Still, his fickle treatment of her was really starting to grate on her nerves. He really needed to figure out what he wanted to do with her. Then again, maybe he had. He did say that their “acquaintance” was over. But she doubted it was true. People tend to say things they don’t mean in anger and he had most definitely been furious. Surely he couldn’t be done investigating her gift already, could he?

She trudged down one of the corridors, crawling over large sections of wall and ceiling that had fallen down from the dilapidated structure. The poor light did little to guide her movements, causing her to run into the fallen stone on several occasions, scraping and bruising her already battered legs. A dark cloud of fear and uncertainty hung over her journey, not knowing what lay ahead or if Ruvik would return for her. After about twenty minutes of virtually no change in her surroundings, she felt a panic start to build in her chest. Something needed to change, and quick. She was starting to feel trapped. Maybe this was Ruvik’s plan all along. To keep her forever trapped within STEM in this endless tunnel until her humanity and consciousness deteriorated into nothingness. She certainly wouldn’t put it past him.

Sophie continued on her journey, each step raising her enthusiasm for reaching a destination while also dashing her hopes that any progress was being made. There weren’t even side corridors for her to venture down, just a straight line of broken stone nothingness. Just when she was about to give up she heard something. Her first reaction was to hide but she quickly realized that she recognized the noise. It was the soft, murmured ramblings of the mental patient, Leslie. He may be insane but he was better than no one. 

She moved through the tunnel as fast as she could, afraid to call out to him in case a creature was lurking nearby. She soon came upon him, curled up in a small ball, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet. Sophie couldn’t make out what he was saying but whatever it was, he repeated it to himself at a frantic pace.

“Leslie,” she whispered. Reaching out and touching him gently on the shoulder. He immediately tensed up and halted his rushed murmurs. He turned to her with his large, baleful eyes with a look of such vulnerability and fear that she just wanted to hold him until he felt at peace. It was hard for her to believe that they were the same age.

“Hurt me?” He whispered, his hands clenching into his hair. A sudden rush of guilt washed over her as she remembered that Ruvik planned to escape through this poor boy. She never wanted to actively hurt Leslie but she had been willing to stand aside and allow Ruvik to steal this boy’s body as long as it meant her own safety. Morality is such a strange, fickle thing.

“No, Leslie. I won’t hurt you,” she said with a weak smile. He instantly broke out into a wide grin, rising to his feet and excitedly grabbing her hand.

“Good, good. A friend is good. Too much pain. Too much.” He babbled heatedly, clearly happy that he was no longer alone.

“Do you know the way out of here, Leslie. Or possibly where anyone else is?”

“More friends? Yes, more friends are good. Yes.” The air vibrated and pulsed around them, much like when Ruvik had shifted and changed the surroundings. The next thing Sophie knew, the passageway changed to a more palatable corridor. There were lit torches in sconces on the wall and the stone wasn’t crumbling and falling to pieces around her feet. The best part was that she now saw separate corridors to explore if need be. Sophie looked over to Leslie in disbelief but he did not return her gaze, too distracted with dragging her down the tunnel. She had no idea that someone could have the same powers as Ruvik in STEM. She assumed that’s why Ruvik needed him, because they were compatible. 

“This way, more friends.” Leslie and Sophie walked a few minutes, his cheerful ramblings filling the tunnel with his chatter. Sophie worried that his talking may attract unwanted attention but based off his little transportation trick, she wasn’t nearly as concerned as she was before. Why be afraid when you can simply transport out of the situation? 

“Hello, is somebody there?” Sophie’s ears perked up at the question. She didn’t recognize the man’s voice but she would take anyone who was sane and not trying to kill her at the moment.

“Yes, we’re over here!” Sophie shouted back, not caring what heard her. She was simply too excited to contain herself. A man stepped from a passageway ahead of them, looking extremely relieved to have found them. He was a handsome Asian who, despite what hell he had to have experienced in this place, looked tidy and neat. Sophie felt a little embarrassed knowing she must look like a mess at the moment. As he drew near, Sophie noticed a badge and something clicked in her mind. Something that the detective driving the ambulance earlier had said when he drove in reverse to the entrance of the hospital. “You must be Detective Oda,” Sophie said, knowing she was grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. He looked a little taken aback that she knew his name but he quickly recovered and extended his hand.

“Yes, I am, but I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting.” She earnestly took his hand and gave it a quick shake before letting go.

“I am Sophie and this is Leslie.” The detective turned to Leslie but as his eyes fully laid upon the boy something dark and ugly passed over the detective’s face. Sophie could have sworn that for a moment his eyes had reddened and veins bulged against his skin. But as quickly as she had witnessed it, it disappeared. Had she imagined it? Unease settled heavily in her stomach, something wasn’t right.

“Are you okay, detective?” Sophie inquired cautiously, hoping the unease in her voice didn’t betray her and reveal what she just saw.

“Yes…I…I just got the strangest feeling as though I was supposed to…never mind. The feeling passed.” Sophie felt doubtful as the detective continued to stare at Leslie, as though he were a riddle he was close to solving. 

“Have you found a way out?” The detective gave a curt nod at her question, his eyes still remaining on the unbalanced boy.

“I found a large room not too far away with several doors, I am certain one of them leads to an exit.”

“Excellent! How about we mosey on that way? I am starting to feel claustrophobic from all this endless stone.” The detective gave another nod and turned away from Leslie but a strange look took hold of his features as he did so. As though turning away from Leslie physically hurt him. 

The detective walked at a brisk pace, always remaining decidedly ahead of Leslie and Sophie. There was clearly something bothering him about Leslie but Sophie didn’t want to pry.

“I was with my fellow detectives, Castellanos and Kidman, not too long ago but we were separated by some sort of creature with talons as long as my forearm.” Sophie instantly recalled the creature that had started to immerge from the doctor she had killed. She was certain it was the same monster.

“Let’s hope she doesn’t feel the need to stop by for a visit. I’ve seen her in action and it was not a pleasant experience.” 

“I think we’ll be fine for now, I have seen no indication of her presence since I was placed here.” He said in a curt tone as the trio entered into a large chamber, well lit by various torches along the wall. Like the detective said, there were several doors in the room but what he hadn’t mentioned was the large stone block in the middle of the floor. A stairwell led to the base of the stone where three figures with missing heads were carved into the rock. There were also chains on the top of the stone leading up to the ceiling. Sophie was sure if there was an exit in this room, it probably laid beneath that large behemoth.

“How do you think we go about moving that?” Sophie asked, turning to the detective. He had taken off his glasses and held his head in his hand. “Are you alright?”

“I am fine. I think we should start with the doorway to the right and make our way over.” He said, returning his glasses to his face, he looked drain. As though he had been up for days. Could she blame him? This place was hell.

“Sounds good to me.” Sophie said with restrained optimism, letting the detective take the lead through the first door, she followed close behind with Leslie still clutching at her hand. They entered into a smaller chamber filled with spikes and restraints. Splashes of blood were scattered around the floor and walls, and, to Sophie’s dismay, it was still fresh. This room was still very much in use. She could only hope whoever caused these mementoes of horror and pain had taken a nice, long walk somewhere. 

Sophie and Joseph moved silently through the room, the tension clear in their shoulders. The only noise came from Leslie’s repeated murmurings. His chosen word was now “coming”. Sophie didn’t know if he said it as a warning or as an optimistic mantra to their exit from this place. Past experiences made her lean toward the former. She quickened her pace a bit but Oda was still taking his sweet time. He was a bit too cautious for her taste. 

They went through a side door of the chamber and were greeted with the snarls and growls of zombie creatures in a damp, dark corridor. Sophie squeezed Leslie’s hand in fear, afraid that they were about to be swarmed by a mass of the undead. Leslie gave Sophie a questioning look but he did not share the fear that she felt. Not wanting to worry him, she gave him a small smile. She stared into the dim passageway and as her eyes adjusted she realized the creatures were trapped behind metal bars. ‘This must be where the torturer keeps his victims.’ Sophie thought idly as she drifted past the detective into the passageway. Something hidden in the corner of a nearby empty jail cell caught her attention. She opened the rusty, metal door, it screeched as though in pain as she entered the room. Upon closer inspection she realized it was a large, old recording device. She pressed the play button out of curiosity, certain it was probably broken but she was greeted by Ruvik’s voice instead.

‘That cockroach, that sycophant; living off of me, feeding off of my work. I’ll have to figure out he got the combination to my safe. But there’s no time for that now; I’m so close. No one can ever have that data. It is mine. Whoever opens that safe next had better be ready to pay the price.’

As the tape came to an end, a strange feeling passed over Sophie; sadness. Despite everything he had done to her, she missed him. She missed his directness, his knowing smirk, and even his cocky attitude. She felt a strange but powerful connection to him that she couldn’t wrap her head around. She felt a tug on her hand, breaking her stupor. Sophie looked down but was greeted with Leslie’s chest, not his eyes. She realized that for the first time Leslie was actually standing up straight and he was actually taller than her. He raised his hand and brushed it through Sophie’s hair, exactly how Ruvik would do it. His dark eyes were clear and calm, a vast contrast to the wild, glossed over look he usually had. As the last strand fell through his fingers, Leslie’s eyes once again became uncertain and lost and he hunched over in his usual posture. 

“Coming…coming…” he said, leading Sophie through the jail cell door. She gave him a small smile, even though he couldn’t see it. She was certain that she had just seen Ruvik’s influence over the boy manifesting. He did, after all, plan to possess him in order to escape. It saddened her to know that a sweet boy like Leslie would simply disappear into STEM. Who knows, maybe a part of Leslie would remain and would make Ruvik a bit more human. One could all but hope. 

They continued on their journey but when they were halfway down the corridor Sophie realized that detective Oda was not following them. She turned around to check on him but was greeted by a horrific sight. The detective held his head in both hands, his face scrunched up in pain. 

“Shut up! I won’t do it! Shut up!” He screamed. Sophie gave a sidelong glance to the zombies, the only creatures who were making noise. Could he possibly understand them? If so, Oda was the one Ruvik should have been researching, not her. Then again, Sophie had the inkling that he was referring to some unheard voice, possibly in his head, and not to the creatures. 

As Sophie looked on, wondering what she should do, she noticed veins start to throb along the detective’s temple and red seeping into his eyes. So she hadn’t imagined it. She started to slowly continue her way down the corridor with Leslie, hoping not to catch the detective’s attention. He was obviously going insane, just like the doctor who had attacked her. Leslie now repeated his word faster and with more urgency. Had this been what he was talking about? Was this what was “coming”? As they backed away from the detective, Leslie must have gotten too close to a jail cell because one of the zombies grabbed onto him. He let out a terrified yell and begged Sophie for help by calling out her name. Sophie held onto Leslie while moving her body closer to the creature. When she was close enough, she gave the zombie a strong kick through the bars, sending him stumbling backwards and freeing the boy from its grasp.

Leslie wrapped his arms around Sophie in thanks but her attention lay elsewhere. She looked over at the detective who was now hunched over and deathly still.

“Give me the boy, girl.” He said in an emotionless tone that made Sophie’s hair stand on end. “Give him to me or we’re going to have issues, and you wouldn’t like that very much.” As Oda’s hand moved to his gun, Sophie bolted for it, dragging Leslie behind her. 

“Lesie, can you transport us out of here?” She shouted, her mind whirling.

“Can’t…can’t...can’t,” he said in a pitiful, scarred voice. Sophie gritted her teeth in frustration. She couldn’t let the detective get this boy, who knows what horrible things he might do to him. 

They rounded a corner and came to an abrupt dead end. Thankfully, there was an opening in the floor with a ladder leading downward and a large metal hatch to close the way behind them. 

“Get in! Quickly!” She shouted, pushing Leslie in front of her to take the lead down. The boy gingerly grabbed onto the ladder and shakily started to lower himself down the rungs. Unfortunately, he moved much too slowly. Just as his head reached the top rung, the detective rounded the corner, gun in hand.

“Get to the ground and run!” She yelled at the poor, terrified boy before closing the hatch on him and locking it in place. Sophie stood up from her task and faced the detective with her chin held high. She fully accepted the fact that she was about to die. She had fought long and hard to stay alive but at least she was going out saving somebody else. Not many people have the privilege to do so as their last living act.

“You stupid bitch!” He spat, raising the gun. An evil, disturbing look took over his features as he pointed the gun at her. His eyes held no compassion, only insanity and joy over the prospect of taking her life. He was too far away to charge him. He was going to get her, there was no way around it. She looked him square in the eyes, not wanting to go out as a coward when a strange, rapid thumping filled the corridor. It sounded almost like an approaching train. Oda gave a sidelong glance down the corridor and his eyes filled with fear. What could possibly be coming? Oda turned away from her and fired a few shots at the approaching noise. Either the detective missed or whatever was coming was massive. The noise picked up speed and Sophie realized what the sound was- heavy footsteps. How big could this creature be to make such a noise?

All of a sudden a large sack with nails sticking out of it was swung toward Oda who barely missed the deadly blow by rolling to the left. The detective quickly regained his footing and ran past the creature. Sophie prayed the creature would follow him but instead he took a singular step forward, bringing himself into Sophie’s view; and boy was he massive.

He had to be seven feet tall with a broad chest and oversized arms. He wore an apron drenched in blood and held the nailed sack in one hand and a strange device with barbed wire in the other. The most disturbing thing, though, was his head, or lack thereof. It was a safe, a heavy metal safe. She saw no eye holes or anything. It was as though a normal safe sprouted a giant for a body. Could this be what Ruvik had been talking about on the tape? Is this what people had to face if they dared to steal from him? If so, it was a very effective security system. 

The creature slowly turned and stared at her, at least, she assumed he was staring at her. It was a little difficult to tell. She remained motionless, not daring to even breathe. Maybe she’d get lucky and this thing hunted by sound, although she saw no evidence of ears either. It seemed her luck had run out as the creature raised his strange weapon and started to approach her with his loud, thunderous steps. The bravery she held when facing Oda quickly left her as this behemoth approached her. She backed into the cold stone wall and slid down the rough surface. She took in the feel of the scratchy stone against her skin, knowing this was to be the last thing she ever felt. As he reached striking distance, Sophie looked up in horror and shouted, “I belong to Ruvik!” The creature halted his movement and tilted his head as if in contemplation. “I belong to Ruvik,” she continued, “To hurt me is to hurt what belongs to him. I am his.” The creature was clearly torn as to what to do. Apparently none of his other victims had tried this tactic before. After a few seconds that seemed to last an eternity, the creature once again raised his arm and a wave of dismay crashed over Sophie. It hadn’t worked. She was really going to die. As the strange man-safe reached his desired height, Sophie watched with abject horror as the arm started to swing downward. All of a sudden, the creature’s arm was stopped mid swing. Sophie looked to the right of the creature to see what could have possibly been strong enough to have stopped such a massive being only to meet the glowing, pale eyes of Ruvik.

The creature tilted his head toward his master in questioning but Ruvik’s gaze never left Sophie.

“Go back to your chamber, Keeper.” He said to the creature in a deep, gravelly voice that sounded even lower and raspier than usual. Without hesitation, the creature left; stomping obediently down the corridor.

Before Sophie knew what was happening, she was suddenly on her feet. One of Ruvik’s arms held her flush against him while the other fisted itself in her hair, pushing her face close to his. She was left stunned and breathless by the sudden movement and the close proximity to him. What was he even doing here? Didn’t he say he was done with her?

“Say it again,” he demanded. Sophie looked at him in confusion as she processed his words. Apparently, she didn’t react quickly enough for his liking because he tightened his grip on her and pulled her even close. His face was mere centimeters away now. “Say it again,” he repeated in a slightly harsher tone.

“I belong to you,” she whispered. Ruvik reacted immediately, pressing his lips against hers in a hungry, urgent kiss that left Sophie feeling more alive than she ever felt before. And she wanted more, so much more.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, this chapter is a lemon so if you're not comfortable with that sort of thing, then you can just skip this chapter. You won't miss any story details, I promise. To everyone else, I hope you enjoy!

Intoxicating. There was no other word for it. She was so eager, so receptive of his touch, her body practically begging for him beneath his traveling hands.

“Again,” he growled, never tiring of hearing those sweet words from her lips.

“I am yours, I belong to you,” she breathlessly answered, gasping as he bit her earlobe, sucking and flicking it with his tongue. He quickly claimed her mouth once more with an intense, all consuming kiss. Their tongues glided and slid against one another, each trying to outdo the other. He loved the challenge, the fight in it. She captured his lower lip in between her teeth and gently bit down on the flesh, causing a hot surge of heat to rush to his loins, weakening his knees. He quickly regained the upper hand by gently massaging the roof of her mouth with his tongue. He felt an intense shudder pass through her at his caress, eliciting a pleasure filled moan from deep within her chest. 

She suddenly pulled away from him, her pleasure glazed eyes staring straight into him. She grabbed hold of both of his shoulders, lifting herself, and wrapping her legs around his waist. She grinded herself against his manhood, causing him to nearly collapse onto the stone floor from the intense pleasure. Never. Never before had he felt such sensations. Never knew that such intense pleasure was even possible.

“I need more,” she said greedily. He smirked, it was as though she had read his mind. He moved one of his hands to her hair, fisting it in her silken strands and bringing her mouth to his once more. He transported them from the stone corridor back to his bedroom, removing their clothes as he did so. 

He stood before the bed, Sophie still wrapped tightly around his waist. She moved her hips once more, grinding against his throbbing member. He growled at the sensation. Free from their garment restraints, he could feel her against him. She was so moist and she radiated with heat. He wanted to delve into her softness, to finally feel a woman clasped around him in the most intimate embrace, but he’s waited for this moment his entire life. He would not rush it.

He tossed her unceremoniously onto the bed, she glared up at him, annoyance evident in her eyes. He took her in; her disheveled hair, her mouth swollen and pouting, her flushed skin and reddened cheeks. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He knelt over her, straddling her hips as he ran both his hands up and down her rounded curves. The swell of her hips, her smooth stomach, and her ample breasts-nothing escaped his touch. He looked into her eyes once more, “again,” he demanded, twisting an erect nipple between his fingertips.

“Yours, I am yours, Ruvik. Nobody else’s,” she said, licking her lips as he continued his ministrations on her breasts.

“Good girl,” he purred, bending down and taking a taut nipple into his eager mouth. She let out a gurgled moan at his action, clutching his head in her hands to avoid him from pulling away. She need not worry, he had no intention of stopping. He suckled and flicked the small bit of flesh, biting down gently and sucking harshly. The more aggressive his ministrations, the louder her moans grew. He reveled in it, wanted to drown in the sensations and the sweet sounds she created. He fought against her hands to lift his head, “Aren’t we the eager one,” he questioned with a smirk, taking her neglected nipple into his mouth. He took hold of the abandoned breast in one of his hands, kneading the mound as he worked his moistened ministrations on the other.

“You’re eager too,” she answered breathlessly, “I can see it.” He pulled away from her, a string of saliva still connecting his mouth to her skin. He wiped the moisture from his lips and looked down to where her heated gaze laid, on his erection. He was indeed very ready for the main event but if she thought he was anywhere near done with his explorations, she was sadly mistaken.

“Get on your knees and turn away from me,” he said brusquely, pulling fully away from her. Mischief danced in her eyes as she obeyed him, lifting herself and turning from him, presenting her rounded bottom to him. He glided a hand over the curved muscles, ‘mine’, he thought before giving a cheek a swift slap. The contact let out a satisfying sound that brought a smile to his lips. He did it again, taking in how the flesh danced from the action and how his medium moaned in pleasure. “I should have known you would enjoy such a thing,” he spanked her again and she answered with another throaty moan, “I am very lucky to have such a fervent whore in my bed, don’t you agree?” He slapped her again, the skin starting to turn pink form his attentions. She turned her head to glare at him, the pleasure still clouding her eyes.

“I am not a whore.” He spanked her again.

“Do not speak back to me. But you are right, you’re not a whore. A whore implies you lay with multiple men but from now on there is only me. Do you understand?” He emphasized his statement with another spank, the sound still bringing him as much pleasure as the first time he had done it. “Do you understand?” Another slap.

“Yes,” she moaned, “only you, there will only ever be you!” His heart raced at her words. He kneaded her behind, massaging the pink cheeks.

“What of your ghost?” He felt her tense up beneath him, she hadn’t expected him to bring up her deceased soldier. 

“No, even if we could touch, he would never be able to pleasure me the way you do. The way I need.”

“And what way is that, my dear?” He inquired, brushing a lone finger though her intimate folds. She gasped in response, pushing her hips back to seek more contact but he denied her the pleasure she sought.

“Possessive…consuming…rough,” she answered, punctuating each word with an appealing roll of her hips. Pleased with her answer, he climbed on top of her, kissing her back as he worked his way up. She was so soft, so very soft. He brushed her hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck. He thought she was going to fly off the bed she reacted so violently. 

“Sorry,” she apologized, “it’s just…that’s a very erogenous place for me.” He raised his eyebrows at the back of her head, what a curious development. He bent down and licked the shell of her ear.

“Let’s see just how erogenous it really is,” he huskily whispered before attacking her shoulders and neck with kisses and caresses. Short gasps of moans and sighs escaped from her, filling the air with a beautiful melody. Curious as to what possible sensations he could be causing, he used his connection to her to reach into her mind. He instantly regretted the decision as intense pleasure rocked through him, nearly bringing him to completion. He immediately broke the connection and smiled into her skin.

“You could come just from this, couldn’t you?” He inquired, running a hand up her side as the other supported him against the bed.

“I..I don’t know,” she answered shakily. He smirked and continued his actions with zeal, she let out a long moan, as though in pain. He felt her desire building higher and higher, he was right, she could come from this; from mere kisses to her back shoulders and neck. The human body was such a fascinating mechanism. Just as she was approaching the brink of completion, he moved a hand to her moistened womanhood and found her clit. He rapidly massaged the small bundle of nerves beneath a finger, sending her screaming into her climax. He watched with fascination and awe as tremors wracked her body, causing her to violently shudder as wave after wave of her orgasm crashed over her. Eventually, she collapsed onto the bed, breathing heavily. He knelt there for a moment, taking in what he had just done. The pleasure he had just given her, the power he had held over her. He wanted to do it again and again. To feel her break beneath him in the most delectable manner imaginable. He moved up the mattress to her head, stroking strands of wayward hair from her face. 

“We are nowhere near finished, my dear.” She looked up at him, desire and satisfaction darkening her green orbs.

“I should certainly hope not,” she huskily replied, grasping his member in her hand and quickly sliding it into her mouth. He let out something akin to a roar at the sensation. Before he had time to properly react, she slid him out; her tongue trailing against him as she did so before pulling him back in to the hilt. She repeated the action, again and again, incorporating her hands as she did so; grasping his shaft as her mouth retreated, cupping his balls in a gentle caress with the other. His eyes fluttered shut at the sensation, moving his hips in rhythm to her ministrations. He stroked her long hair in his hands, delighting in the feel of it all. This was perfection, pure and simple. She pulled back a bit to claim one of his balls in her mouth, moving her hand quickly over his moistened shaft. He leaned his head back and let out an animalistic growl, she purred in answer. She moved her talented mouth to his other ball, nibbling lightly on the rough skin. He starred down at her through hooded lashes. Her eyes were closed, a sheen of sweat glistened over her body and her breasts bounced slightly from her movements. Her smooth skin contrasted sharply to his own scarred monstrosity. The devastating wounds had come within centimeters of his manhood, but had left him whole. Lucky, he had been so lucky. She once more slid her mouth over him, sucking harshly at the head of his penis, flicking her tongue over it before claiming the entirety of his penis into her passageway. He felt the back of her throat but it did not deter her, she continued on, sucking and gliding. It wasn’t long before he felt his orgasm upon him, hot and heavy. She met his eyes with an intense stare. She reached up, gliding her hand down his battered chest. The message was evident, he was hers. He came. It boiled his blood and stopped his heart. A violent roar rose up from his chest and bounced around the large room. When the sensations finally started to die down, he watched her pull away from his still erect penis to kneel in front of him. She stared determinedly into his eyes and decisively swallowed. 

He was on her in an instant. Kissing her with ferocious abandonment, pushing her against the bed with his body. She wrapped her legs around his waist and once again sought the fulfillment she desperately needed. Once more he denied her and pulled away. 

“Ruvik!” She yelled, exasperated from waiting. He clasped her thighs between his hands and opened her up to him. “Please,” she begged, “please enter me. I need you. I need you inside me.” He moved his hips and glided his shaft against her glistening folds, but he did not enter her. He was taken aback by how wet she was. He had no idea a female could produce so much lubricant, and the heat. It was so intense, like a furnace. She was going to set him ablaze once more, but in the most delicious way possible. 

“No,” he growled, “I think I will reciprocate instead. She looked up at him in confusion before he clasped both of her buttocks in his hands and lifted her to his mouth. Instantly he was upon her, sliding his tongue through her folds, delving into her womanhood. She tasted tangy and sweet, her earthy smell filled his nostrils with its erotic aroma. 

“Ruvik! Ruvik! Please, Ruvik!” She screamed as though his name were a holy mantra. She withered and thrashed against the sheets, her head turning from side to side as though she couldn’t handle the pleasure he gave her. But she would take it, because he demanded it of her. He flicked her clitoris with his tongue, sending a shiver throughout her heated body. He pulled away slightly to blow a stream of cool air over the little bud that made her buck and moan in response. Ruvik answered by returning to her folds with fervor, caressing and sliding his tongue with raw abandon. It wasn’t long before she broke beneath him, a heated blush reddening her skin as she screamed out in her pleasure. Ruvik continued with his licks and sucking until she was left breathless and broken beneath him. He lowered her lower half back to the bed and crawled up her form to capture her mouth in a tender kiss. The kiss didn’t last long, he pulled away to look down at her, at what was his. A small smile graced her lips as she raised her hands and glided them down the roughened skin of his chest.

“You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met,” she whispered, taking one of his nipples between her fingers and coaxing it to become taut and erect. She leaned upwards, kissing the hollow of his neck which elicited a slow, pleasure filled hiss from him. He could feel her grinning against his neck, “You like that, do you?” She asked, sucking violently at his neck. If this were the real world, she would have left a bruise. As it were, he was in his world and her ministrations only left him with a tingling sensation in his balls and a dick so hardened it was almost painful.

He pushed her away, taking her hands and raising them above her head. Ropes appeared out of nowhere to bind them in place. He takes one of her legs and throws it over his shoulder, opening her up to him. He takes his rampant flesh in his hand to guide it to her silken entrance. He slides himself in slowly, centimeter by glorious centimeter. He had no idea what he had been missing. She was so tight and wet and so very hot. When he was fully seated within her, he stilled his hips, lost in the sensation of it all.

“I had no idea. It’s so perfect. So welcoming.” He babbled, retreating slowly and delving back in even slower. He enjoyed the feel of her, wanting to catalogue each sensation into his memory. He never wanted to forget this, never. 

“You don’t have to be gentle with me,” she said, surprising Ruvik. He starred at her for a moment before answering her with a sly grin.

“Duly noted, my dear,” he growled in response, slamming his hips into hers. 

“Yes!” She screamed, spurring him onward. He moved his hips in reckless abandon, too lost in the sensation to care about rhythm or the possibly bruising speed he inflicted upon her. The room filled with the intoxicating sound of their wet skin smacking and gliding against each other, the sound of her womanhood sucking him back into its warmth, music to his ears. His climax was building quickly within him, growing to an intense height. He grasps one of her breasts in his hand, rolling the nipple in his attentive fingers. She comes screaming fast and hard, her inner walls clamping viciously down around him. With a few final thrusts he gladly follows her into oblivion. Darkness and sparks collide in his vision, fighting for dominance as an immense pleasure racks his entire body. As he comes down from the high, he collapses on top of her. He mentally releases the bondage from her hands, allowing her to lazily run her hands down his ruined back.

“Ruvik,” she said between gasps of air, “promise me you’ll do that again.” He lifts himself off of her and rolls her to her side, cradling her body against his own.

“Many times over, my dear,” he purred, kissing the back of her head. She quickly falls asleep in his arms, leaving Ruvik alone to contemplate his future with the woman in his arms.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 17! Thank you for everyone who reviewed last chapter, it seems like everyone enjoyed it, which is a relief. Just a warning, there is another sex scene in here but I put ‘0 0 0’ before it as a warning. There are only a few chapters left so we are approaching the end. Please keep up the reviews, they are a HUGE inspiration! Enjoy!

The first time he awakened her he took her quickly and fiercely. The second time, slow and sensual. The third time, he had wanted to experiment. Demanding to know the different sexual positons she knew so that they could explore them together. He was relentless, eager, and a natural at the art of sex. She was a very willing participant but all of his attentions had left her drained and sore. When she awakened once more, she was met- not with Ruvik’s wandering hands or his penis already seated deep within her- but with an empty bed.

She raised groggily and scanned the empty room but there was no sign of him. She figured he must be checking on the others. He has been distracted the past few hours, after all. The sheets fell from her naked form, the cold air caressing at her exposed skin. She quickly pulled the sheets back up and looked around the bed for her clothes. Unfortunately, they were nowhere in sight. Ruvik must have left them back in the corridor. A cynical part of her wondered if he had done it on purpose to ensure she’d still be waiting for him, naked and in his bed, when he returned. If that was his plan than he had another thing coming. While she had enjoyed their time together, immensely, they needed to sort things out. To have a direct and open conversation about their future. From what Kidman was saying, it was clear that the organization she works for would hunt her down even if she were able to escape from STEM. She needed a partner. Someone who was smart and at least has a vague notion of how these people operate. Ruvik seemed to fit the bill pretty well. 

She stood up and yanked the silken sheet from bed, the chill of the room making her shiver. It finally came free and she wrapped it hastily around her body. It soon became clear that the sheet was too massive so she had to leave a train to trail behind her. She ran her hands through her hair as she made her way to a mirror to look at Ruvik’s handy work. She couldn’t help but laugh when she saw herself. With the way the white sheet wrapped and fell around her, she looked almost like a bride. A battered bride at that with swollen lips, disheveled hair, bags under her eyes from her interrupted sleep, and bite marks and hickeys scattered along her neck and chest. Not that she minded. She had greatly enjoyed receiving the marks and he could always heal her, he’d done it before. 

She needed to prepare herself for what she was going to say to him. Their next conversation was going to affect her entire future. She paced rapidly, or as rapidly she could with the massive sheet dragging at her feet. He had already expressed an interest in working with her and after their recent…activities, she was fairly certain he was still open to the idea. She still had her gift, after all, so she could be of use to him as an information source. Sneaking a ghost into the organization’s headquarters would be infinitely easier than either of them attempting such a feat. No, she was certain that he was still open to a partnership. The biggest issue would be his treatment of her. There would be no more of these mind games and fickle treatment. She was not a toy or one of his experiments, at least not anymore. She was willing to do whatever it took to ensure her safety but she wasn’t about to spend the upcoming months or years as his pawn. Such a fate was impossible for her to accept.

The sound of a door slamming shut from beneath her feet made her jump, breaking her contemplative steps. It wasn’t Ruvik. She was certain of that. There was no reason for him to be downstairs, or opening doors when he can transport himself. Could it be one of the creatures? Why would he need them in his home? She hadn’t encountered any earlier, so she doubted it was one of them. Besides, she still saw no evidence of their ability to even open a door. That only left one conclusion, one of the detectives, Marcelo, or Leslie was now in the house. Three of those five people could present a very serious problem for her. She made her way through the door and into the hallway. She needed to see who was here, preferably before they saw her. It would be extremely difficult to explain her current state of dress. She made her way to the library, it being the most familiar route to her. As she entered the room, she came face to face with a zombie. She froze in her place, fear causing her to tighten the sheet around her, as though it could protect her from the creature’s gnashing teeth. It looked like she was wrong about no zombies being in the mansion. Where did they come from? Did Ruvik put them here after their copulation after to keep her safe? Or to keep her imprisoned? Now was not the time to think it over. She turned to bolt for it when she realized the zombie made no move for her. It only looked at her considering, its harsh breaths coming out ragged and hoarse before shuffling away from her. She was shocked, needless to say. So perhaps they were here for her protection. She was kind of touched. Ruvik must have some regard for her to take such measures. 

Despite their apparent disregard for her, she quickly made her way through the room to the door out to the main hall. She felt infinitely better once the door was closed, the creatures safely on the other side. She leaned against the oaken surface and let out a sigh of relief. She could not wait to get out of this place. The sound of footsteps beneath her brought her back to the task at hand. She moved to the guardrail, looking down into the foyer. She saw movement to her right but it disappeared into the room to the right. She let out a quiet, aggravated sigh at her luck. Just a few seconds sooner and she’d have her answer. She crept slowly down the stairwell, trying her best to catch a glimpse into the room without exposing herself. Based off of the sound of the steps, she believed it had to be one of the men. They were too heavy to be a woman’s, so Kidman was ruled out. They were also strong and confidant so that also ruled out Leslie, and probably the weakling Jimenez as well. So that only left Sebs or Oda. She prayed that it was the former. She didn’t need Oda losing control again. That is assuming he ever regained controlled, he could still be out of his mind, searching for her and Leslie.

Before she knew it, she was at the bottom of the stairs. Walking across the cold, polished surface of the marble floors. She pressed her body against the wall near the open doorway where the figure disappeared. As she peaked around the corner she saw a formal dining room area and Sebastian trying to open a side door. He was so distracted with the door that he didn’t realize a female zombie was right behind him, knife in hand. Sophie reacted quickly, charging into the room, picking up a candelabra from a side table and bashing the creature over the head. It only managed to cause the creature to stumble so she hit her again, even harder. A spray of blood shot into the air, droplets falling across her face and makeshift dress as the creature fell to the floor. The zombie made an attempt to stand up but Sophie beat her to it and clobbered her in the head a few times until she didn’t move anymore. Sophie breathed heavily from the beating and dropped her weapon onto the immobile body. She felt sweat start to form and drip down her face. She brushed the moisture away but only managed to make it even worse. Confused, she look down at her hand to see that it was covered in blood. She let out a small laugh and shook her head, that was just her luck. 

She looked up to find a shocked Sebastian staring back at her. She couldn’t blame him for his expression. She had come out of nowhere dressed in only bedding and saved his life. She’d be shocked too. 

“Where did you come from?” He questioned her, ripping a swatch from the tablecloth and approaching her with it. “I am sorry. What I should have started off with was ‘thank you.’ I had no idea that thing was behind me. You really saved my ass.” He moved his hand to her face and started to clear the blood away, just like he had done when the invisible creature had attacked her. “You must be disgusted having this gore all over you.” She felt her eyes widen at his words. She wasn’t. She had been before when the invisible tentacle man’s brains had rained down on her. It caused her to shake violently and sent shivers throughout her body. This didn’t bother her though. Could it be her exposure to Ruvik? Was she becoming as jaded as him to violence? She didn’t want to think about his possible affect over her psyche and moral code. It really shouldn’t be surprising based off of what she read in Marcelo’s papers but it was still unsettling. Knowing she could be losing herself in Ruvik’s world. She gave Sebs a shaky smile and nodded her head in agreement.

“I was with Detective Oda and Leslie not too long ago,” Sophie said, wanting to pull the conversation away from her blood soaked endeavor. “I lost track of Leslie though when Oda attacked us, I think this place is taking over his mind.” Sebastian gave her a grim nod, a weary glint taking hold of his eyes.

“Yeah, I thought as much. We all need to get out of here, and quick.” Finished with his work he stepped away from her and looked down at her attire and bruised neck with a disapproving look. “Did Joseph…did he…rape you, Sophie?” A frown deepened his , it was clear the idea devastated him.

“No!” She answered a bit too forcefully, but she wanted to assure him in any way she could. This poor man didn’t deserve all of this. Then again, neither did she…or at least she didn’t used to. She was now, quite literally, sleeping with the enemy. So perhaps she had earned her place in this horrid world. 

“Then who did this to you,” he asked, motioning to her body before grabbing her shoulders and looking deep into her eyes. Sophie felt herself blush. She couldn’t tell him. There was no way, it was too embarrassing.

“Could you please just drop it,” she asked sheepishly. His brow furrowed even deeper. He stepped away from her and looked around at his surroundings before looking back at her, realization in his brown eyes. 

“It was him wasn’t it?” He asked angrily. Sophie felt herself turn red as a tomato, she had hoped he wouldn’t piece it together but he was a detective after all. Their location was pretty damning evidence. “Dear God,” he exclaimed, rubbing his hand over his face “I am guessing you did this willingly since you’re walking around freely.” That irked her. 

“Who are you to determine what I should and shouldn’t do to stay alive? I don’t have weapons or combat training like you, I did what was necessary.” She exclaimed, fury clearly lacing every word. From the corner of her eye she saw him put his hand on his gun. That hurt. She just saved his life and he thought that she would harm him? 

“So you’re working with him then?” He asked, taking the gun out of the holster. He didn’t raise it at her but his finger was near the trigger. She glared at him. 

“I don’t have to answer to you Sebastian. I just saved your life, that should be enough to maintain your trust but clearly that is not the situation. So if you don’t mind, I’ll leave you to your own explorations. I don’t need your hostility.” She turned away to leave but was stopped by his hand on her shoulder.

“Wait, I am sorry,” she heard him place the gun back in its holster. “I am just on edge. My head feels clouded and I have spurts of time missing from my memory. It’s difficult to trust here. I think you can understand that.” She turned back toward him, feeling guilty that she had snapped at him. In truth, she knew where he was coming from. If the roles were reversed she’d probably not trust her either. Willingly having sex with the enemy was not exactly endearing.

“You should remove your hand from her if you value your life, detective.” A cold voice said from the doorway. Sophie’s eyes shot to the entryway to see none other than Ruvik standing there.

“Ruvik,” she said breathlessly, feeling her heartbeat pick up at the sight of him, but it wasn’t in fear, it was excitement. It was official, she had lost her mind. Sebastian’s hand dropped from her shoulder and went to his gun, whipping it out quickly and firing at Ruvik. Sophie’s eyes widened in horror as the shots rang out. Ruvik merely smirked before disappearing, the bullets missing him completely. Relief washed over her when she realized he was safe but fear clutched her again when he reappeared directly in front of them, his eyes glaring at Sebastian. Ruvik raised his hand to grab Sebastian but Sophie stepped in front of him.

“Ruvik, please leave him alone. He’s not part of the organization.” His eyes narrowed down at her. 

“He threatened you and touched you. That is enough.” He said, looking past her shoulder at Sebastian before disappearing once more. Sophie quickly whipped around to Sebastian.

“You need run away and hide!”

“But..”

“Don’t argue! I’ll be fine, you need to go!” He nodded and ran away just in the nick of time as Ruvik reappeared and barely missed grabbing onto Sebastian. Sophie reached out and wrapped her arms around Ruvik’s midsection.

“Ruvik, please, I am fine. Just let it go!” He turned his head to glare down at her.

“Why are you protecting him?” He demanded.

“Because he’s not like Marcelo or Kidman, he’s a good guy. He doesn’t deserve this. Come with me back to the bedroom, please,” she pleaded. He looked at her with consideration, the mention of the bedroom and the implication clearly peaked his interest. 

“I’ll be there shortly,” he said and before Sophie could protest, she found herself back in Ruvik’s bedroom. Panic seized her and she moved to the door but it was locked. 

“Damnit!” She yelled to the empty room. She had gotten Sebastian killed. She should have just stayed in this stupid bedroom. She didn’t have to see who was here, she could have ignored it but she let curiosity get the better of her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She sat angry and defeated on the bed, knowing there was nothing she could do until Ruvik returned. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long. Not even five minutes after she was transported, Ruvik appeared, obviously in a sour mood. As he approached her with a quick step, she stood up to greet him, equally furious.

“What did you do to him,” she demanded. He grabbed a hold of her makeshift dress and tore it from her body, revealing her naked form. He pushed her unceremoniously onto the bed as his clothes disappeared from his body.

“He lives, and I expect to be properly awarded for my mercy.” He quipped, pressing a hand in between her legs, finding her clit. She let out a moan of relief and pleasure. Sebs was safe. They would never be able to be friends but she was glad he was safe. She moaned loudly as Ruvik touched her, once again getting lost into the sensations he invoked. She summoned all of the will power she possessed and grabbed a hold of his hand trying to pull him away from her core but he was too strong for her.

“Ruvik, we need to talk,” she said through a pleasure filled groan.

“We shall talk later. Right now, this,” he said roughly.

0 0 0

Sophie let out a harsh rush of air as he slid two fingers inside of her. She hadn’t been wholly ready for the sudden intrusion but the pleasure quickly replaced the pain as he moved his fingers within her, his thumb continuing to play with her clit.

“Do you want him?” He demanded of her. She looked up at him through hooded eyes at his stern expression. He was jealous, she would laugh if she though he’d see the humor in it but she wasn’t that naïve.

“No,” she gasped as he hooked his fingers inside of her, rubbing against her G spot. “I told you, there is only you. Only you, Ruvik.” He must have been pleased because he climbed onto the bed to capture her lips in a searing kiss, but he didn’t remove his hand from her folds. For that, she was grateful.

His kisses were needy and intense, consuming her. His wonderful hand continued to work at her, sending shivers of pleasure shooting throughout her entire body. She bucked into his hand, wanting more from him. She felt him smirk into the kiss but he didn’t pull away. His thumb rubbed delicious circles around her clit, alternating between languish swirls and rapid teasing. He continued to bring her to the brink of pleasure but every time she was at the cusp of falling, he slowed his movements and pulled her away from the edge. His fingers glided relentlessly within her, her moisture coating his fingers with lubricant, announcing her readiness for him. Sporadically, he would play with the bundle of nerves within her core, shooting intense pleasure through her. She bucked and squirmed beneath him whenever he did it, sending a growl reverberating throughout his chest at her reaction. His thumb picked up speed once more as he teased her G-spot with his fingers. She was so close, so close. She turned her face away to break the kiss, he looked down at her with slight annoyance.

“Please, please let me finish this time Ruvik. I can’t take this anymore. Please.” She begged him. He gave her a smug smile, bending down to bite her ear.

“As the lady commands,” he whispered, moving his thumb with a new found vigor. The pressure built up quickly, heating her belly and sending a tingle sensation down her legs. She came crashing down hard. An intense, blinding orgasm consumed her, blurring her vision at the edges. As her inner walls started to constrict and pulse around his fingers, Ruvik wasted no time in promptly entering her with his hardened manhood. He moved quickly within her, his breaths coming out clipped and ragged. The newfound fullness lengthened her orgasm, causing the sensations to come in wave after wave of intense pleasure. 

“Mine,” he hissed. His hips moving erratically against her. “Mine,” he repeated. He grabbed harshly at her hips, lifting her into the air and moving in and out of her at a stunning pace. Sweat cloaked his skin as he worked, she raised a hand and ran it gently over his face and down his ragged chest. He looked at her with interest as she touched him, his tongue darted out unconsciously and dampened his lips. 

“I am yours, Ruvik. All yours.” He let out a roar as he reached his breaking point, his hips twitching against her. She dug her nails into his arms as she felt a second orgasm fast approaching, his seed filling her passageway sent her screaming over the brink with its warmth. 

When it was over, Ruvik remained above her, still inside her as he slowly softened. He raised a hand and stroked his hand through her hair. He looked content. She liked seeing him this way. It felt…right. He pulled out of her but continued to look down at her. “Let’s talk then,” he said, materializing his clothes back onto his body. It looked like the fun was over, it was time to talk business.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! I am sorry for the wait, I can’t believe how long it’s been, I apologize for that. Just a warning, there is smut in this chapter, I know there was some at the end of the last chapter but I feel like after the long wait it’s justified. Besides, I am assuming they have very few limitations when it comes to sex since they’re in Ruvik’s world. As always, thank you so much to the wonderful reviewers, I probably would have abandoned this story long ago if it wasn’t for you guys. Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy the latest installment!

He towered over her, making her feel small and insignificant in comparison. It didn’t help that she was still naked and glistening from their coupling whereas he was fully clothed with no indication of what had just transpired. Not so much a bead of sweat was left to betray him. She shifted uneasily, grasping gracelessly at the abandoned sheets around her as she rose up on her knees, almost reaching his eye level.

“May I have some clothes please,” she asked in a polite, level voice “and can you please heal some of these bruises, they’re not exactly ticklish.” She indicated to her neck, leaning her head back so he could observe his handy work. His hand rose and a lone finger drifted down the expanse of flesh. She winced from the pain but didn’t let out so much as a whimper to indicate her displeasure. She would not look weak in front of him. As his finger ghosted across her skin, she felt clothes appear on her body. She looked down to find a green dress that hugged her curves, the sweetheart shaped cut left her shoulders and the swell of her breasts exposed. His hand fell away from her and she raised her own inquisitive digits to her neck but was met with pain when she touched the tender wounds.

She looked up at him with a disapproving look. “You didn’t heal my wounds,” she said in annoyance. He smirked down at her.

“I enjoy looking at them. Just be grateful I allowed you clothes to avoid any further…distractions.” He coolly informed her, stepping back and giving her clothed form a heated stare so there was no misunderstanding of his meaning. She felt her cheeks redden at his words. They had literally just finished and he still craved intimacy. It must be one of the benefits of being a virtual God in this strange place. She let her hand drop and looked directly into his pale, calculating eyes. He had several advantages going into this discussion, and she didn’t like it. 

He was more composed, stronger physically, had complete control of their environment, and he could, to some extent, look into her mind. There was only one advantage she currently had at her disposal, and that was his desire for her. Not being one to leave such a benefit by the way side, she rose from the bed and approached him. He looked at her with a slight glare of wariness as she reached him, lifting herself up by her toes and capturing his mouth in a heated kiss, catching his bottom lip between her teeth, tugging slightly at the bit of flesh. His hands found her hips and caught them in a bruising grip but he did not pull her closer or push her away. She took that as a good sign, that she had caught him off guard, and he wasn’t certain what he’d prefer to do with her. Not giving him the opportunity to decide, she pulled away, resting her head against his shoulder. She raised a hand to let it glide up and down the scared, exposed flesh of his chest. He shivered in appreciation and she couldn’t help but smile at his response.

“Ruvik, I think by now it is clear that I have come to have a great appreciation of our time together, an appreciation I believe you share.” She stopped momentarily as she felt his hand start to stroke circles on the exposed flesh of her back. “Given this,” she continued, slightly breathless now, “I believe we should expand on this newfound...affection we seemed to have formed for one another to both of our benefit.”

“Interesting,” he replied with a cold, dejected voice, “and what is it that you propose?” She stopped her wandering hand from caressing his battered skin to push him slightly away from her body, she looked up at him with, what she hoped, was a cold, merciless look. 

“I think we should work together to utterly destroy this Organization that seeks to take advantage of us.” His face remained impassive at her words but she could see his mind working at breakneck speed from the calculating flicker in his eyes. She liked to think she also saw admiration and even respect hidden in their depths, but she wasn’t about to get her hopes up. “A partnership, if you will,” she quickly added. Not wanting him to think she wanted to enter this situation on unequal footing. His hand continued its languishing path up and down her back, sending appreciative shivers down her spine. 

“Interesting, and what makes you think I need your help?” She was taken aback by his words, which was probably his intention. She knew how manipulative he could be but she hadn’t expected him to outright question her usefulness to him. Damn him. 

“I-I have my gift, of course. We can use them as spies.” Her heart pounded rapidly in her ears as she tried to argue her case.

“Spies? They didn’t seem particularly obedient in your memories, what makes you think they would be willing to do such work for you?” He questioned in a mocking voice, his eyes burning into hers as she glared up at him.

“James…” She began, but was unable to finish as he pulled her flush against him, his free hand tugging her face up to his.

“I don’t want you seeing that man ever again,” he hissed out, possession lacing each word. She couldn’t help but grin, giving him a saucy smile.

“I thought you weren’t even sure you wanted to work with me,” she said smugly. He leaned even closer to her, a cruel look overtaking his eyes.

“There’s a world of difference between the equality of partners and being my personal fuck toy.” Anger quickly seized her and she lashed out, trying to slap him. He easily caught her wrist, not even breaking eye contact as he did so. Her chest heaved in rage, she had never let anyone speak to her in such a manner and she certainly wasn’t about to start now. She closed the small distance between them and seized his bottom lip between her teeth, clamping down until she tasted blood. He pushed her away forcefully, breaking their contact. She stumbled backwards, her knees catching on the bed, causing her to fall back against the soft surface. He was soon on top of her, pining her hands above her head. He leaned down and bit her ear harshly, causing her to cry out in pain but he didn’t break the skin. He stopped his assault and breathed raggedly into her ear.

“Don’t do that again,” he sneered, pushing himself away to stand once more but Sophie wasn’t going to let him off that easily. She hooked her legs around his midsection and pulled him back to her. He stumbled into her and she quickly captured his lips in a hungry, angry kiss. He returned the kiss, fighting for dominance in the heated interaction. Both his hands tangled themselves in her hair, pulling her even closer as his tongue entered abruptly into the warm cavern of her mouth. 

Believing him to be adequately distracted and aroused, she used her legs to flip positions with him, breaking the kiss. He glared at her as she straddled him, he reached for her but she descended her mound against his hardening manhood before he reached her. His hands quickly changed direction to her outer thighs, grabbing them in an appreciative hold. She felt his penis twitch beneath her, quickly arousing her desires. She glanced down to see his penis peering out from his perpetually unzipped pants. She moved forward slightly and moved her moistened folds against the exposed muscle. She was grateful that he hadn’t given her any underwear, or else this interaction would have been less effective. She rocked against him, fighting against the mounting pleasure within her but she couldn’t come undone. This may be her only chance to convince him. 

“So, you think this is all I am good for, Ruvik?” She questioned in a husky voice, he looked up at her from hooded eyes. His only response was the tightening grip of his fingers on her thighs. “Well, you’re wrong. I can get the ghosts to do as I say, I’ve had years to figure out which ones I can use and manipulate. It comes down to quid pro quo. What I can get from them and what they can get from me. I think you can appreciate such a relationship.” 

She reached up and rolled one of his nipples between her fingers, he bucked in response. “You also underestimate the bond James shares with me. He will never fail me, he will do as I say without question, and he will do so with utmost honesty and respect. Even now he searches for me. I heard him in the halfway place before I was forced out, he was calling for me. Searching for me. Why wouldn’t you want such loyalty at your disposal? Don’t be so simple, Ruvik. See what it is that I can offer you.” She saw a strange emotion fleet across his features before he lifted her up and forced her onto her hands and knees. He pushed her head down into the mattress in such a way that she couldn’t see but she could still breathe and speak. It wasn’t long before he entered her from behind. His pace was slow but forceful. As though he was making a statement with each thrust. 

“Say your ghost’s name,” he barked at her. She was taken aback by the strange request but she humored him and shouted out James’ name. He spanked her bottom once and demanded she say James’ name once more and again, she humored him. Abruptly, his hips stopped moving. She knew he hadn’t reached completion so she was confused and tried to lift herself to see what was wrong. She was stopped by his grip on her neck. Once again he continued his ministrations.

“Say my name,” he demanded. His voice taking on a low, possessive tone. 

“Ruvik!” She yelled out in pleasure. Glad he no longer wanted her to call out James’ name, it was such a strange and awkward request.

“Who do you desire?” His movements took on a newfound fervor as he continued his discourse. Sending licks of fire and desire to spread out from her core to her limbs. Making them tingle and shake from the sensations.

“You!”

“Who do you want?”

“You, Ruvik!” She cried out, feeling the precipice of her desire quickly approaching.

“Sophie?” A horrified whisper quickly ripped her away from her pleasure, dosing it in frigid water. She pushed herself forward on the bed, breaking Ruvik’s grip on her. She clumsily fell onto the disheveled sheets but her head quickly shot up to verify what she feared, James was in front of her. A look of utter despair and betrayal in his eyes. She felt sick to her stomach. This wasn’t how he was supposed to find out. This was too cruel, he didn’t deserve this. This couldn’t be real.

Sophie glanced behind James to find a familiar reception desk where antique furniture had stood only moments before. They were in the halfway place where she had read through Marcelo’s papers. Sophie felt the bed shift behind her as Ruvik crawled up her body. He stroked her hair and whispered hotly in her ear. “It was already my intention to take you on as a partner. I just wanted to see the fire in your eyes,” his hand stroked appreciatively down her body in one quick motion, “and you certainly did not disappoint me.” He kissed her softly on the head before rising up, correcting himself and standing on the opposite side of the bed from James.

This was her fault. She told Ruvik she could hear James in this place so he brought her here and somehow allowed him to enter this place. Stupid. How could she be so stupid? She had let her anger at being belittled by him cloud her senses. She thought she had been so clever but he always had the upper hand. He always did. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She was frozen on the bed. Not able to move, only stare into the devastated eyes of James. Inside she was a jumble of emotions that fought for dominance. Anger at Ruvik for doing this to them. Pity for James for what he just saw. And humiliation for being tricked. In the end, self-pity won out as tears formed in her eyes and she reached out for James. Terrified that he may leave her. She needed him. This place had put James on the back burner in her mind but out there, in the real world, she wouldn’t be able to function without him. He kept the other spirits at bay, gave her confidence and strength to move forward. He was her only true friend left in the world.

She leapt off the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist, sobbing out a babble of barely comprehensible apologies. His arms returned the embrace to the point of pain, but she didn’t care. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply, dampening her locks with his own tears. Their embrace was soon broken as Sophie was wrenched away by a none too pleased Ruvik.

“That is enough of that,” he declared as he pushed Sophie behind him. “So, you can make physical contact in this place. How interesting.” He said in a bored tone, his strong grip and stance his only betrayal of his obvious displeasure at this discovery.

“Sophie and I have always been able to embrace in her dreams,” James declared in a haughty tone. Ruvik’s grip tightened even further on Sophie’s wrist but she didn’t cry out in pain, it would have only complicated the situation even further. 

“That will cease,” Ruvik said in a deadly tone, broking no room for argument. James took a menacing step forward.

“You will take your hands off of Sophie,” James took another step, now nose to nose with Ruvik. Sophie stepped from behind Ruvik and put her hand against James’ chest.

“Ruvik is a friend…”

“Lover,” Ruvik interrupted. Sophie had to bite her lip to stop herself from lashing out at him. He couldn’t possibly make this anymore difficult.

“I can explain in more detail later but, for now, all you need to know is that I am in danger and he can help. There’s an organization that’s after my abilities who will stop at nothing to kill me and take them away for their own nefarious desires. Ruvik can help me. He can protect me.” A concerned look crossed over James’ features.

“Would this organization happened to be called Mobius?” James inquired in his southern drawl. 

“How do you know that name?” Ruvik demanded, anger overtaking his features.

“It’s written on the vehicles now entering the premise. They’re clothed and armed like policemen but there is something amiss with them.”

“Damn,” Ruvik rasped under his breath, “I thought I would have at least ten more minutes. The timeline will have to be escalated.” Ten minutes? What the hell was he talking about? Why would he be wasting time talking when he thought he only had ten minutes to escape?

“James,” Sophie inquired in a shaking voice, “how long have I been passed out?” He gave her a thoughtful look.

“No more than 15 or 20 minutes I would reckon.” Sophie’s heart dropped and she suddenly felt kind of woozy on her feet. That was it? It had felt like a few days had gone by. The time difference was insane. She shifted a disbelieving look to Ruvik, who shifted his blank eyed stare from James to her. How long has it been for him then? He’s probably spent lifetimes in this place. Can he even adjust to reality after living here? She suddenly felt immensely sad for him but it wasn’t enough to drown out her anger for him.

“It is of no consequence,” he said, as though he had just read her thoughts. Which he may very well have just done, considering his powers. “You must return to the real world immediately and make your escape. Find out the location of the ruins of my home and I will meet you there once I have ascertained a new body.” He explained quickly in his graveled voice. It took a moment for it to sink in what he was saying. He was letting her out. She could return to reality. 

It saddened her that he was about to go after Leslie in full force, he was a sweet kid, but it had to be done. She wasn’t going to let Mobius win. They had to be stopped. Not only for her sake but for any other people they deem necessary for their twisted plans. Ruvik raised his hand to release her from his reality but she reached out and grabbed it. He looked at her with confusion. She slapped him soundly across the face.

“That’s for what you did to James,” before he could react she pulled him down into a breath stealing kiss. “Please be safe, Ruvik,” she said softly. Anger and confusion flitted in his gray eyes, she drank it in. Knowing this would likely be the last time she would see the beautiful, almost white orbs. She would miss them.

“Await for me, I will come for you,” he declared before a wrenching, blinding light overtook her. She felt like she was being thrown through time and space. But suddenly, without warning, everything stopped. A heaviness came over her and a pounding sensation throbbed against her skull. The sound of sobbing filled her ears. Sophie blinked her eyes open, the overhead fluorescent lights momentarily blinding her. 

“Sophie, are you well?” James inquired. Sophie groggily looked to him, standing above her to her left. Concern evident in his eyes. 

“Yeah, my head is pounding though. She grasped at the desk and shakily rose to her feet. Ruvik had really done a number on her head when he knocked her out. As she stood, from her peripheral vision, she could see the dead secretary, Mrs. Rowley, still mourning over her dead body. It looked like her ability to see ghosts was back, whoopee. James moved forward to help her as she walked but quickly retreated once he remembered that he couldn’t touch her in this plain of existence. Only in her dreams did he have such a privilege. Sophie moved out into the hallway as quickly as she could, remembering to bend down to pick up her purse. She wasn’t going to make that mistake again. As she entered the hallway she was slightly taken aback that the dead doctor was not there before reminding herself that that had all happened in STEM. It had all felt so real, though. In a way, it was. Ruvik’s world had been a different reality in and of itself. She couldn’t say she would miss it. The instant healing, lack of ghosts, and the ability to have virtually non-stop sex was a notable benefit but she could do without the zombies, psychopaths, and creepy atmosphere.

Sophie and James entered her car and Sophie took a moment to take in the safe and familiar atmosphere it provided her. The soft seat adjusted perfectly to her height, the smell of her ‘Ocean Breeze’ air freshener, the sound of Queen filling the small space as she turned the key. This car was the closest thing she had to a home. She was grateful for whatever comfort it could give her.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, she decided to turn right to look at what was going on at the front of the hospital. Ghosts filled the small courtyard, flowing out in waves from the entrance. Ruvik had killed so many people. People he had deemed unnecessary to his mission. She couldn’t let him continue to do this, to hurt innocent people. Ground rules would have to be set. Then again…her eyes shifted to the foreboding black vehicles parked along the police cars. The word Mobius written in bold letters across the sides. What if Ruvik couldn’t get out? There were so many of them. She tried to push the thought out of her head. Ruvik had proven himself more than capable of taking care of himself up to this point. She just had to trust him. Sophie drove off, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the hospital before pulling over and Googling the location of Ruvik’s old house. Sophie looked at James from the corner of her eye. He looked so sad and confused.

“So, I guess there are some things I need to clear up,” she said, dreading the conversation at hand, while worrying thoughts of Ruvik persistently tried to push their way to the forefront of her mind.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, last chapter before the finale! Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck around! Especially to the reviewers, you guys are such a huge inspiration!

Sophie sat on the hood of her car looking at the crumbled, blackened ruins of Ruvik’s childhood home. It was so strange to see it in such a state of disrepair given the grandeur she had seen it in in Ruvik’s world. She wondered what had caused the destructive fire. The internet was of no help, giving no reliable explanation for the origin of the flames. Did Ruvik cause it? Could it have been an experiment gone wrong or had he tried to destroy the memories within the stone walls? Or had it been the people who had burned him and killed his sister? Sophie would have to ask him when he arrived. ‘If he arrives,’ she corrected herself.

She looked at her watch in concern. It had been about an hour since she had awakened in the real world. The drive here had been awkward and frustrating as she drove through overgrown backroads while explaining to a very upset James what had happened in STEM. The whole time her heart raced as she thought of a million things that could be happening to Ruvik. Where was he? Had he even made it out of STEM? Had Mobius captured him? Could they be heading here even now to collect her? Sophie cast a suspicious glance at the rusted gate, but the only sign of movement was the overgrown grass blowing in the breeze. 

She let out an aggravated sigh and slid off her car, crushing the weeds beneath her feet as she walked to the center of the courtyard. She was being stupid. Ruvik could handle himself. Besides, he would have to retrieve a vehicle and remember the drive here. She just needed to give him some time. Everything was fine. Everything was fine.

The setting sun made ominous shadows on the ground, as though the trees themselves were creeping up on her. She glanced up at the massive building, the orange and red hues of the sunset made the building appear aflame once more. A shiver worked its way up her spine. Perhaps it’d be best if she waited in the car with James. He may be mopey but at least the car felt familiar and safe.

Sophie started to make her way to the vehicle when movement near the back caught her eye. Could it be Ruvik? No, why would he be hiding then? A ghost perhaps? No, they were never afraid to make their presence known. She looked into the car to James, who was looking directly at her. He must have taken note of her sudden stop in movement. His brow creased in confusion until she darted her eyes to the back of the car. He nodded in understanding and ducked his head out his window. He quickly whipped it back around to her and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Sophie, RUN!”

She wasted no time and made a mad dash in the opposite direction. She was halfway to the gate when she heard a shot fired. She quickly dropped to her stomach, praying the tall grass would give her some coverage from the shooter’s eyes. She had been followed, Mobius was going to get her. Fear consumed her so instantaneously and fiercely that she felt nauseous. She had to get away, they were going to kill her. Probably stuff her head in a jar, just like Ruvik. 

“Get up, Sophie. I know you’re there. Just come nice and easy and I won’t be forced to hurt you.” Sophie’s blood went cold at the voice. She closed her eyes in frustration. She should have killed her. She should have let Kidman die in that box. Ruvik was right, she had been weak. Not one to delay the inevitable, Sophie rose slowly to her feet. 

“Kidman,” she sneered in disgust. “I see sparing your life meant nothing to you.” Sophie was taken aback when she saw Kidman. She looked like a wreck. She was deathly pale with dark circles beneath her eyes and a look of pure anguish etched into her features. Whatever Kidman had been through in STEM must have been pretty intense.

“Please, Sophie, I don’t want to do this. I thought...things would be different. In that place…I experienced…I saw…” she vigorously shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. I am not there anymore. Nothing has changed. Mobius still has all of the control. You are nothing. I am nothing. Can’t you see that?” She finished in desperation, tears forming in her eyes. Sophie’s eyes darted to behind Kidman where James now stood. 

“Sophie, I am going to attempt to push her. If I am successful, you must run as fast as you can.” James explained, his voice taking on a newfound tone of authority. ‘Had that been the voice he used in the war,’ she idly wondered. She gave him a small nod, hoping he had enough strength to reach into the physical realm and distract Kidman. James pushed with all of his might and Kidman lurched forward.

“What the hell!” Kidman screamed out, twisting her body around as she tumbled forward. Sophie took advantage of the moment and made a mad dash to the gate running down the twisted, wooded pathway that laid beyond. 

Sophie heard her name shouted and footsteps running after her in pursuit. Sophie wanted to deviate from the path and into the forest but the tall grass would give her away in an instant and the trees were too skinny and far apart to provide adequate coverage. Sophie’s only hope would be to outrun Kidman until the sun went down so she could hide under the coverage of darkness. Staying ahead of her shouldn’t be too difficult considering Kidman was wearing high heels. Honestly, what kind of foot wear was that for a cop?

After ten minutes of non-stop sprinting, Sophie’s lungs were ready to burst and her legs screamed with each step but Kidman hadn’t caught up and the sun was almost down. She was almost home free. A sudden, blinding pain in her leg brought Sophie crashing to the ground. She let out a scream from the pain. What the hell happened? Sophie looked down to her leg in the dimming light and saw copious amounts of blood pouring out. She had been shot. The blood pounding in her ears and the adrenaline must have deadened the sound of the gunshot. Sophie quickly took off her shirt and wrapped it tightly around the gushing hole, praying the pressure would make it stop soon. Sophie turned her teary eyed gaze to her surroundings, looking for the bitch that shot her. Sophie soon found Kidman, a fair distance still behind her but the trees had thinned out, giving Kidman a pretty clear view to take aim. Sophie was screwed.

Sophie waited in a state of sheer anger and anguish during the few minutes it took for Kidman to jog to her. The sun had been so close to setting, so freaking close. As Kidman approached her, she raised her gun and circled around her, her breaths coming out in short, hefty spurts.

“Was that one of your ghosts back there?” She kicked Sophie in her injured leg, she let out a primal scream. God it hurt so much. When she had been stabbed it had all felt so surreal, the pain didn’t manifest until after she had awakened. But this, this was raw and extremely present. “I bet you thought you were really clever with that trick. Do you feel clever, now Sophie?” Sophie let out a few ragged breaths before raising a tear stained face to the woman standing above her.

“Do you feel stupid for wearing hooker shoes to work this morning?” A sharp pain engulfed Sophie’s head as Kidman clubbed her with the back of the gun before pointing it at her once more. Sophie’s ears rang from the pain, but it had been worth it. If she was going to die, she was going to go out being snarky.

“Just shut-up and wait for my back-up to arrive. They shouldn’t be much longer.” As if on cue, two beams of light and the roar of an engine appeared on the path ahead, just as the last rays of the sun dipped below the crest of the horizon. Sophie’s heart sank, it was truly over.

“I am sorry about this,” Kidman whispered. Sophie looked up at her in disbelief. The adrenaline and anger from having to chase after her had obviously died down and Kidman was once more looking dejected and worn. 

Sophie opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of the approaching van gaining speed. Sophie looked over Kidman’s shoulder to see the van approaching much too quickly. Kidman must have heard it too because she turned around, just in time for the van to smack into her with a sickening crunch. Sophie rolled out of the way and into the ditch but it was an unnecessary action. The van had stopped immediately upon impact. 

Sophie laid there in a state of disbelief as she watched Kidman gasp for air, their eyes connected. Kidman looked so scared, so small. Kidman reached out a hand toward her, asking for help. The sound of a door opening and approaching footsteps turned both their heads to the figure now looming over Kidman. His armed raised to Kidman’s head, the headlight from the van highlighting the gun in his hand.

“L-Leslie,” Kidman rasped out. The disbelief evident in her voice.

“Not anymore,” He answered back before pulling the trigger, the gunshot echoing throughout the forest. Kidman’s head whipped backwards and into the dirt, blood spraying upwards in a horrifying burst. Sophie gaped at the spectacle as James appeared from the wooded edge beyond, as if the gunshot had summoned him. He made his way over to Sophie, kneeling beside her and looking worriedly at her wound. But she paid him no attention. Her eyes were only for the man in front of her who looked at the dead woman below him in disgust before raising his gaze to Sophie’s own. Their eyes connected and Sophie was taken aback for a moment. The features were Leslie’s but the cold, angry look that was in those blue eyes could only belong to Ruvik.

He quickly moved toward her, kneeling down and seizing her face in both of his hands.

“Are you alright?” He asked, fear audible in his rough voice. His eyes went straight to her hands which were clutching the throbbing wound. “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath before lifting her up with an audible grunt. He moved as quickly as he could to the back of the van. He tried to shift her so that he could open the door but it was obvious that it was a struggle for him. The door suddenly popped open, seemingly of its own accord.

“Thank you, James.” Sophie murmured, fury glinting in Lesl-, no, Ruvik’s eyes. He placed her down on the edge and made his way into the back of the van, turning on the overhead light. Two bodies were revealed, their necks split open, their blood painting the floor in a glistening maroon pool.

“W-What happened?” Sophie inquired. Shaken up from the sight of the two men, not to mention being shot and watching Kidman die. Then there was trying to reconcile the fact that it was Ruvik now in front of her and not Leslie. Dear Lord this had been such a strange day.

“When I awakened, Mobius was already in the room.” Ruvik bent down and picked up a large case, ‘Emergency Medical Kit’ written on the front. He moved over to her and popped it open, quickly getting to work. “I had to pretend that Leslie was still in control so they would believe me still trapped in STEM. Thankfully, those fools believed my act and set me aside as they dealt with the others. They shouldn’t have underestimated me. It was all too easy to sneak a scalpel and take care of the two men put in charge of escorting me. Fate must have been on our side, my dear, because just as I was driving away the detective phoned one of the men, requesting back-up. If she had called anyone else you would undoubtedly be in Mobius’ control at the moment.” He stuck a pair of forceps into her leg to dig the bullet out, blood streaming out with renewed vigor. 

Sophie screamed but quickly bit off the anguished sound. After a few seconds he removed the forceps with the bullet in between the two pieces of metal. James whispered words of comfort to her, making some attempts to stroke her hair but the strands would barely move from his attempts. He had used up too much of his energy pushing Kidman and opening the door. He would have to regain his strength. Ruvik disinfected the wound and started to stitch it up with quick, neat stitches. When he was finished he sat back and starred at her. 

He raised a hand and stroked it through her hair and down her face, leaving a trail of her own blood behind. Sophie reciprocated the motion on his own features. It felt so weird and foreign to her and just…wrong. 

“What happened to Leslie?” She asked in a whisper. Her stomach knotting in concern. He moved out of the vehicle and moved to the front.

“It’s best not to think of that. You would not enjoy the answer,” he responded as he opened the passenger door and made his way back to her. “Honestly, I was thinking of taking on a different form,” he continued as he picked her up once more. She was taken aback, a different form?

“Who,” she demanded as he deposited her in the front seat, which was covered in a spray of blood. He ignored her and closed the door. “Who,” she demanded once more as he made his way to the driver’s side. He entered and closed the door, looking forward into the darkness as he gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles looked as if they were about to pop out of his skin.

“The detective, Sebs,” he answered with disgust. “Due to certain trauma in his past, his brain waves were compatible with my own. I also thought his position as a detective would be beneficial in gaining my revenge. Not to mention your obvious attraction to him.” Sophie made a noise of irritation but he continued speaking, unhindered. “But his age and alcoholism were a deterrent. Leslie is almost twenty years his junior, valuable time that I plan on putting to good use. But I hadn’t expected this body to be so weak!” He let out a roar and slammed a fist into the steering wheel, it beeped loudly in protest. Sophie raised a reassuring hand to Ruvik’s shoulder. 

“You just have to readjust to this body, you’re mortal now, after all. Not to mention Leslie was obviously not well taken care of by Marcelo. Once you get some proper food, a haircut, and get rid of the staining on your teeth, you’ll feel like a new man.” Sophie stroked at the mop of hair that fell over his eyes, he leaned toward her and captured her lips in a kiss. Sophie quickly leaned backwards, breaking the brief contact. “I am going to need some time to adjust too,” she shakenly admitted. He gave her a dark look before turning the key, the engine roared to life.

“Where are we going to go?” She inquired as he backed up the van, it rocked slightly as it rolled off of Kidman’s body, her stomach lurched at the movement. He backed up some more before driving around Kidman and down the lane toward his former home.

“I am assuming your car is this way?” She answered him in the affirmative. “Good, unbeknownst to Marcelo my lab was untouched by the fire but I moved my operations to the hospital anyway in order to have easier access to the patients. We will gather what we need and leave in your car. We will drive as far as we can and take residence up in a small town hotel. We will reside there until I can get my financial situation in order. Be grateful I had the foresight to put my family’s businesses, assets, and savings under various aliases to ensure Mobius couldn’t get their greedy mitts on them. Once everything is in order, we can move ahead from there.” Sophie looked at him dumbfounded as he finished. He had this all planned out. She didn’t know why she was surprised, this was Ruvik after all. 

“It won’t be long before ghosts start showing up. They’re never too far behind. Once they do, I will negotiate and get a few of them out there to track Mobius’s movements and gather intel.” He nodded his head in approval just as they entered the gates and her car came into sight. He turned off the engine, plunging them into darkness. The vehicle was eerily silent for a moment. Not even their breaths were audible.

“When I saw her standing there, pointing the gun at you, I thought I was about to lose you. I was…disturbed by such a circumstance. I am pleased that you are safe.” He got out of the car and quickly made his way to the house before Sophie could answer. She felt her heart flutter in her chest at his words. For the first time in years, Sophie had genuine hope for a decent future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe it is almost the end. This has been such a long journey. I hope to get the epilogue out pretty quick since I’ve been dying to write it (it has a bit of a twist in it that I am pretty excited for). Unfortunately, it’s going to probably be pretty lengthy if I keep everything in that I want to cover, so that’ll slow down my progress. Please leave some feedback or a review, comments are always appreciated!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is, the epilogue. I would like to thank everyone who has stuck with this story, it means a great deal to me. Please leave any closing remarks you may have, it would mean a lot to me. Please enjoy and, once again, thanks for reading!

Ruvik pulled away from her in disgust. He rose from their bed, grabbed a vase and smashed it into the floor. Sophie wrapped the silken blankets around her as she waited for Ruvik to finish his anger fueled demolition. It had been six months since he had escaped from STEM and the transition thus far had not been a smooth one. 

Leslie’s body was significantly weaker than what Ruvik’s had been in STEM and he hated his newfound restrictions. To make it worse, the abilities he had gained from Mr. Rankin- telekinesis and astral projection- were all but useless without the ability to draw energy from the electric grid. He had made headway with the telekinesis but he had abandoned attempts at astral projections. He found it tedious and deprived him of any energy he would have gained from sleeping. He had been able to come to terms with all of that, more or less, but his lack of strength and control over his environment were constant struggles for him. Not to mention the necessity to sleep like a regular person and not being able to transport himself wherever he pleases. 

There had been some upsides. His business and savings portfolios had performed extraordinarily well over the years giving them all the money they need to start their life anew and plan their attack against Mobius. They had moved a week ago into a secluded and beautiful Victorian home that was built over a sizeable bunker of Ruvik’s design. Ruvik had been almost unable to control his excitement when he put his finishing touches on a newly built STEM system and finished the last of his traps to protect his work. Yes, they had their ups but every now and then something would happen that would trigger Ruvik. Remind him that he was no longer powerful and virtually omnipotent. One of those things happened to be sex.

“Ruvik, calm down. It’s not that big of a deal.” Sophie soothingly coaxed him from the bed. He turned to her with fury burning in his blue eyes. 

“This body is unacceptable! I barely lasted ten seconds and I feel drained and fatigued! Don’t you dare sit there and tell me you received any sort of pleasure from our coupling!” He huffed, running a frustrated hand through his newly cut hair.

“This is only our third time attempting this, it’s going to take time. Besides, you satisfied me during foreplay. I am not greedy, Ruvik.” His eyes took on a cold look.

“It was better before, you can’t deny that.” Sophie fought not to roll her eyes. It wouldn’t help the situation.

“Of course it was. You could regenerate at a moment’s notice and look into my mind. It probably won’t ever be like that again but it will get better than this, I promise.” He grimaced at her.

“Yes, it will, because I will make it better.” He turned on his heel and headed for the door. “I will be in my lab.” The door closed behind him and Sophie let out an aggravated huff and threw herself against the downy pillows.

In all honesty, she thought this time had been a resounding success. The first time Ruvik had attempted sex had been a week after he had escaped STEM. His body was still too weak from years of neglect and malnutrition so he had been unable to keep an erection. Not to mention Sophie couldn’t get into it since all she could think about was Leslie and how it was his body above hers. The second time had gone much more smoothly but had ended much too quickly for Ruvik’s liking. Like the first time, they weren’t able to reach penetration. Ruvik had reached climax from oral sex and became irate when he couldn’t re-cooperate to continue. Sophie was more than pleased with the progress. Not only had he been able to maintain an erection this time around, but Sophie had actually been attracted to him.

Ruvik had gained some proper muscle mass and had the staining on his teeth removed which helped considerable in getting Sophie to differentiate between him and Leslie. What really helped was his newfound chosen haircut. It was considerable shorter and swept to one side, kind of like a World War I fighter pilot. It completely transformed his face and Sophie could even believe that he was a grown up version of the child Ruvik she had seen in the vision. Sophie wondered if the transition would have been even more difficult if Ruvik and Leslie hadn’t looked so similar.

She shook her head. There was no point in thinking about it. She turned her head to the side where she was greeted with four pairs of eyes. One of them was returning from a reconnaissance mission to one of Mobius’s centers but the other three were just normal ghosts here to annoy her and demand her attention. 

Sophie let out a sigh, missing James immensely in that moment. He had been at Mobius’s headquarters for a month now and she had no idea when he would return. Hopefully, he would gain enough relevant information so he wouldn’t have to leave her for so long again. 

“Alright, Natalie,” Sophie said, swinging herself out of the bed and over to the awaiting spirits. “What do you have for me?”

X X X 

One month later…

Sophie could feel her climax building inside her. Ruvik moved slowly within her, his eyes looking deep into her own.

“That’s it Sophie, just let go. I want to feel you collapse around me. Come for me. Come for your lover.” Sophie did as he commanded and reached that ever so sweet peak and came crashing down on the other side. Her toes curled in the bedsheets and her inner walls clasped vigorously around his manhood. He let out a low moan and he reached his own completion, his hips shuddering against hers as he filled her. 

 

When he was finished, he remained above her, pressing his sweaty forehead against her own, his eyes closed. Sophie drifted her hands down the smooth expanse of his back as they remained there for several minutes in contented silence. After some time, he pulled away from her, stroking her face and hair. There was a strange look in his eyes, one that Sophie had never seen before. It was something past satisfaction or happiness but the right term eluded her. Before she could place it, it was gone. Replaced with an expression of surprise and realization.

“That’s it,” he whispered, before jumping out of the bed and collecting his scattered clothing.

“What’s it?” Sophie asked, watching with wide eyes as he zealously put on his cloths.

“I have been trying to find ways to make STEM more effectual. To find new and more efficient ways to get people to accept my presence in their mind, to delve in at my whim.” He finished dressing himself and turned to her, excitement evident in his features and stance. “I spent so many years with hate and vengeance on my mind that I only looked to hate and fear to further my research. I completely ignored affection, desire, and love.” He moved to her and kissed her deeply before pulling away from her and moving quickly to the door. “I will be in my lab. I will require utmost privacy over the next few days so please see to any questions that may arise from my lawyers or business associates. Now that I no longer live in isolation those people feel the need to constantly contact me for frivolities. It is most distracting and annoying.” 

Ruvik was out the door already before Sophie let out a dumbfounded, “No problem.” She wondered if he even realized that in a very circumvent way he just told her that he loved her. Or, at the very least, he held a notable amount of affection for her. After all, why else would he have this epiphany while gazing into her eyes? Sophie could feel a blush creep over her cheeks as she grinned from ear to ear. Things were finally coming together.

X X X 

Four days later…

Sophie sat with her hands tangled in her hair, wanting nothing more than to rip it out in frustration. Not only did she have to return no less than eight phone calls to handle Ruvik’s various business dealings, but the ghosts were being mutinous. Some of them were very upset that the one’s helping her were getting special treatment. So, as a revolt, about fifteen of them decided to ban together and yell at her constantly. It had been going on non-stop now for over fourteen hours. Starting at three o’clock in the morning, just after she had finally gotten to sleep in her, once again, empty bed.

“I am not going to relent. If you want more help, then you must agree to my conditions. Otherwise, you have to wait until I can make time for you.” Sophie screamed at them, knowing if anyone else were to see her act in such a manner, they’d think she was going crazy. Which she was. They were so freaking loud. 

Much to her chagrin, another two ghosts materialized through the walls and joined in the raucous. She let out a groan and banged her head against her desk’s table. She couldn’t give in. If she did, then any other ghost who wanted her attention would just pull the same stunt. She had to remain steadfast or else they would have complete control over her life. 

Out of nowhere, the volume of the screaming spirits suddenly diminished. Sophie looked up in confusion to see James pushing some of them out of the room. It was noticeable more difficult for him, it was clear he had lost a lot of his strength being away from her for so long. Sophie could feel her heart race at the sight of him. She wanted to cry she was so happy to see him. Between the ghosts, dealing with Ruvik’s things, and the consuming loneliness; she had come to greatly miss her guardian angel.

After about thirty minutes, James was finally able to get the ghosts out and keep them out, at least for now. He turned to her with a weary smile and she jumped out of her chair and ran to him. She almost tried hugging him, but caught herself at the last second. Running through him and into the side table beyond would do nothing to help this day. Instead, she stood in front of him, beaming at him with the biggest smile she could muster.

“James, it’s so good to see you! You have no idea how much I have desperately missed you.”

“I think I have a fairly good notion, darling.” He drawled, sounding weaker than usual.

“Ruvik, has been cooped up in his lab the past few days working on something big but he did say to notify him straight away when you got back. I hope he still means it. Are you up for talking to him?” He nodded.

“Might as well get this out of the way. I have a lot to tell so he best make sure he has the time to hear it.” Sophie walked over to the wooden French doors of her office and flung them open only to be met with the angry gazes of several spirits. Sophie walked past them without a second glance, grateful that James’ presence were keeping them quiet for now. After a few hours they’d work up the courage to once again continue their onslaught.

Sophie came to a wall and tapped rhythmically against the surface. Upon completion, the wall swung open to reveal a massive metal door. Sophie typed in the code, put her hand on the scanner and kept her eye open for an annoying amount of time for the retina scanner. She vigorously rubbed at her watering eye as the metal door slid into the floor. 

She began her descent down the stairs, stopping halfway down to twist at one of the paintings on the stairwell. If she didn’t, the stairs would open up and she’d fall through into a cage. Something she learned the hard way the first time she came down here. Of course, Ruvik had done it on purpose to make sure his trap worked. He was lucky the door opened up onto a bed or else she would have been livid. At least, more livid than what she had been.

She reached the bottom and turned the corner only to be met with two men in one of Ruvik’s prison cells. She was taken aback at first because she had no idea when or how they got there. It seemed Ruvik had his ways. They both saw her at the same time and ran up to the metal bars, raising their hands toward her and begging in urgent whispers for her to help them.

She approached them in a daze of bewilderment. When her eye caught their white lab coats and the Mobius symbol stitched into the lapel, Sophie quickly realized why they had been selected.

“I must confess,” she started, stopping just out of their arm’s reach. “When I saw you two in there I thought Ruvik might be up to his old ways again. You can’t imagine my relief when I saw who you guys work for. You should know right now that I am not going to help you, nor do I have the desire to help you.” She completed in a deadpanned voice, watching their faces fall in despair at her words. Their crestfallen faces didn’t bring her any joy nor did it elicit any feelings of compassion. Although, the saddened look she could see from James in her peripheral vision tugged at her heart. She had to ignore him. She couldn’t be weak. These men probably would have experimented on her. No remorse. No pity. She would give to them what they would have given to her.

Sophie jumped slightly as an arm wrapped around her midsection and lips were pressed to her hair.

“Aren’t I a lucky man, gentlemen? To have such a supportive woman by my side? Tell me, were your significant others as supportive when you told them how you tortured me for hours before ripping my brain from my skull? Or did you keep such sordid details out of the bedroom?” Ruvik said in a low, chilling tone. The raspiness of his old voice seeping through. “Do not worry, I will not be doing the same. One of you will experience something far, far worse while the other will experience joy and rapture beyond their comprehension before they too go through something far, far worse. It won’t be much longer now. Preparations are almost complete. Keep your eye on the time.” Ruvik, pointed behind him. Sophie turned her head to see an electronic clock counting down. The men had less than a day left.

One of men collapsed onto the floor in a series of fits and sobs while the other ran to the toilet and threw up into the metallic bowl. Ruvik guided Sophie away from the pair and down a hallway into the newly formed STEM room. 

“I am assuming that James has returned and that is why you have come.”

“Indeed, it is, but why did you bring me here?” Ruvik walked away from her and picked up a strange looking helmet.

“This will go by much quicker if we did this through STEM instead of you repeating everything he says. I can use the wireless capabilities to get you into the halfway point and James can enter your dreams, as he did before.” He looked around the room, as though James would suddenly appear for him. “You still do not have my permission to enter her dreams outside of here, by the way.” Ruvik said much too loudly into the cavernous room. 

“We’ll see about that,” James said from beside her. Sophie saw no reason to tell Ruvik that James had every intention of disobeying him. It’s not like Sophie could stop James even if she tried. She didn’t have those capabilities.

Ruvik took her hand and led her to one of the pods. She hesitated from climbing inside, remembering everything she had experienced the last time they were there. Of being trapped in a world filled with monsters, lacking control of everything around her. She wasn’t eager to return to such a place. Ruvik noticed her reluctance and put the helmet down, clasping her head between his hands and looking into her eyes. 

“I am not a good man, Sophie. I have done unspeakable things and will continue to do them. There are horrors beyond anything I had created in my last version of STEM in this machine but you will be perfectly safe with me in the halfway point. I promise, you will never experience such horror again, I won’t allow it. Unless you betray me, of course.” He finished, ending with a small smirk.

“Of course,” Sophie responded with a half way genuine laugh. She accepted his hand and stepped into the pod, forcing herself to relax as she gazed up into James’ eyes who stood above her with concern tensing his shoulders.

“Do you trust him, Sophie?” He asked with trepidation. Sophie smiled weakly and nodded her head. Sophie could hear Ruvik climb into his own pod and shortly after everything went black.

When Sophie opened her eyes again, she was left breathless. They were in a large meadow of flowers of every shape and color as far as the eye could see. The only spot devoid of flowers was where they currently stood which had two couches also occupying the space. Ruvik walked up behind her and kissed her neck as she gazed at the beauty around her. 

“I thought you would appreciate this locale more than a hospital waiting room.”

“You would be right, this is simply amazing, Ruvik.” She said breathlessly. 

“I am glad that you are pleased. After your ghost is finished telling his tale, it is my wish to spend time with you here, alone.” He said in a low growl, his hand drifting possessively down her body so she wouldn’t misinterpret his meaning. “If you find that acceptable.” Sophie felt her desire well up in her core, overwhelming her. She had to take a moment to collect herself before she spoke.

“I find that perfectly acceptable,” she answered in a low, throaty voice. 

“Are you quite finished or should I return later?” James asked in an anger laced voiced. Sophie quickly jumped away from Ruvik, her cheeks flaming red in embarrassment. She walked over to one of the couches and sat down, her head bowed so she wouldn’t have to look at James. James sat across from her as Ruvik sat beside her, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. He could be such an ass. 

“Well, ghost,” Ruvik said with slight abhorrence, “tell us what you have found.” James jaw twitched in annoyance as he looked at Ruvik. He shifted his eyes to Sophie and noticeably relaxed as she gave him an encouraging smile. James reluctantly once again returned his vision to Ruvik, more collected now, before he continued.

“I guess that depends on what you know about Mobius’ controlling company, the Umbrella Corporation.”

X X X 

Eight months later, Ruvik’s point of view…

Ruvik sat in an oversized office chair, looking out at the expansive city below. He quite enjoyed the view. Not for the aesthetic of it, but for the feeling it gave him. It made him feel powerful, like how STEM once made him feel. He could enter STEM once more but it no longer garnered the same feeling that it had once elicited from him. The world of STEM now felt fake and unfulfilling to him. He wanted real power, real capabilities. He was so close now to achieving such a goal. Just a few more pieces of the puzzle. 

As he leaned back in his chair, he heard the door open behind him. Heavy footsteps entered the room and stopped in the center.

“Please, have a seat,” Ruvik said in a neutral voice. The visitor obeyed and sat in one of the extravagant chairs in front of his desk. Ruvik waved his hand, using his telekinesis to activate the traps embedded in the furniture where the newcomer now sat. The room filled with the sound of metal clacks and the hiss of locking mechanisms as the chair bound the man to the surface. The man laughed.

“You don’t know who I am if you think this can hold me,” the man said in a mocking tone. Ruvik heard him try, unsuccessfully, to try and break from his restraints. “What the hell!” The man exclaimed in aggravation. Ruvik swiveled his chair around to face the man before him, the previous chairman of the Umbrella Corporation.

“That is where you are wrong, Wesker. I am well aware of your superhuman strength and speed, not to mention you near immortality. So, yes, I know exactly who you are and what you are capable of. That’s why there’s a series of syringes now in your back pumping you with enough sedatives to kill several men. Or do you not feel them? Are you now incapable of pain? Please tell me. This will be useful to know before I start the experimentation.” Ruvik said in a deadpanned voice. The blonde man smirked at him.

“Ruvik. Where have you been hiding? We’ve searched high and low for you. Is the medium with you as well?”

“We will not be discussing her.”

“Ahh, has the little psychic caught your eye? I don’t blame you, I was planning on having my fun with her as well before we incorporated her into STEM.” Ruvik once again waved his hand and two spikes ripped through Wesker’s legs, the man barely even winced from the pain. The smug smirk never leaving his lips.

“I said we will not be discussing her,” Ruvik hissed. “If you haven’t noticed, you have lost. I now own the Umbrella Corporation and I will fix everything that you and your incompetent cohorts have done.”

“I am surprised, Ruvik. That’s very righteous of you. Has the love of a good woman made you soft?” Ruvik waved his hand and spikes pierced through Wesker’s biceps.

“Don’t try my patience. I have no intention of humanitarian endeavors. I will continue with Umbrella’s work but for my benefit and without the severe stupidity that has plagued this company thus far.” Wesker laughed at Ruvik’s words.

“What makes you think you have the capabilities or know how to run such an enterprise? That my people will follow you in any capacity? I am the only one who can control Umbrella, the only one who can keep it moving forward.” Ruvik let out a low, throaty laugh as Wesker finished his little speech.

“You honestly believe you have aided this company over the years? It is nothing short of a miracle that it hasn’t completely collapsed and that its programs still remain largely hidden from the public. It was pathetically easy to find out about the disasters in Raccoon City and Rockfort Island. Are these the examples of your so-called leadership? Your people will follow me if they wish to remain employed and living. It shouldn’t be too difficult to garner their loyalty, a trained monkey could do better than what you have accomplished. You didn’t even notice that large amounts of your stock was being bought up. You are pathetic. Did you think you were safe behind your powers? That your supposed intelligence would stop people from challenging you? Well, here I am, Wesker, and I have thrown down the gauntlet.” Ruvik mocked him, standing from his chair with a flourish as he finished. For the first time, the smirk left the Wesker’s face.

“It’s only a matter of time, Ruvik. I am immortal and destroyed all the research that gave me the capabilities I now possess. I have all the time in the world as you try and discover the secrets of my body. I will find an opportunity to escape and take it. I will put you back in that jar and find your little psychic. Make no mistake. I always come out on top.” Ruvik leaned towards him, leering down at him with a cruel smile.

“You have misinterpreted my intentions, once again. I didn’t do all this,” Ruvik indicated the chair Wesker sat, “in order to capture you for experimentation. I did this so I can look you in the face as I kill you.” Wesker’s eyes widened just before a large blade came from the back of the chair, severing Wesker’s head and showering Ruvik in a hot splash of blood. 

Ruvik moved around the desk and picked up Wesker’s head from atop the blade, blood dripping down in streams from the opened flesh.

“You overestimated yourself, something I too was once guilty of as well. But I learned my lesson and shall never again make such a mistake.” Ruvik carried Wesker’s head to a small container filled with liquid and placed it in the canister, locking it. Ruvik moved once more to his desk, pressing one of the buttons on his intercom. I will be showering. I want the body removed and in the lab before I am out.”

“Yes, sir.” A voice answered back. “Will you be in tomorrow, sir?” 

“No, I will be returning home immediately. Inform the pilot to prepare the helicopter.” Ruvik stood there for a moment, looking at the bloodied body of Albert Wesker. His vengeance was now complete. It tasted sweeter than he could have ever imagined.

X X X 

Five hours later…

Ruvik stood over a sleeping Sophie, looking down at the first thing that was his in this world, but certainly not the last. He stripped off his clothing and crawled in the bed behind her, stroking her hair and kissing her bare shoulder. She slowly awakened, raising her left hand behind to reciprocate the caresses. He captured the appendage and held it for a moment, kissing each knuckle. He put something around one of her fingers before he finally relinquished her arm. She brought her hand to her face and squinted in the darkness, confusion deepening her brow. Once she realized what he put there, she bolted upright, almost hitting him in the face.

“R-Ruvik, what is this?” She asked, holding up her now ringed hand for his inspection.

“I would assume you’d be familiar with the concept of an engagement ring.” He said, raising a mocking eyebrow at her.

“Of course, I am just…surprised. Why are you doing this?” He reached up and pulled her back into his arms, breathing in her scent before answering.

“Is your answer, no, then?” She noticeably tensed at his question.

“Of course, my answer is yes, Ruvik. This past year has been the best of my life. I’ve never felt stronger and more certain of myself and that’s all because of you. Not to mention the fact you’re the only living person who I trust completely. Who also understands and accepts my ability and who I am. I would be insane to turn all that away.” He kissed her deeply, spreading her legs with his hands and settling himself between them.

“Good, then you have an understanding of how I feel. I have no intention of letting you go, ever. I am a very possessive man and I intend to make you mine in every sense of the word. We are going to spend a long time together, my dear. Possibly forever, if Wesker’s body gives me the information I need. We will be Gods in this world. We will control everything, all from the safe confines of obscurity.” Sophie let out a small sigh at his words and from the entering of his manhood inside her warm entrance.

“You make it sound like we’ll be the Illuminati.” She said breathlessly as he moved his hips once more against hers.

“In a manner of speaking, we will be. But we will need people we can trust to aid us, I think heirs will do nicely in this endeavor.” Sophie looked at him with wide eyes before letting out a pleasure filled moan.

“Is that why my birth control suddenly went missing last week?” Ruvik picked up the pace and she threw back her head, twining her feet around his back, urging him to go faster and deeper.

“Perhaps,” he answered in strained gasps. They remained locked together for the next hour, sometimes going fast and fierce and other times slow and sweet. They reached their climaxes in unison, their pleasure filled cries bouncing across the room. Sophie fell almost immediately asleep with a contented smile.

Ruvik remained awake, holding her possessively in his arms as he ran a lone finger over her ring. For the first time since Ruvik was a child, he knew what it meant to be completely and totally content and he wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from him again. Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s all she wrote. I actually intended this to be longer. The scene with the two men in the prison cell was supposed to be much lengthier but I decided to cut it down. Was anyone expecting me to bring Albert Wesker into the story? It was my intention from the get go to do so and I assumed everyone would know him from the Resident Evil games. If not, I am sorry for the confusion to anyone. Please leave a comment as to what you thought of the story, even if it’s constructive criticism or an alternate ending you would have preferred to have seen. Now let’s all cross our fingers and hope one day we get an Evil Within 2 game because I think we can all use a bit more Ruvik in our lives. See you later everyone!


End file.
